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Thursday, March 8

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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 Standard.

Report: FBI requests for information under Patriot Act were underreported

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In an audit to be released Friday, the Justice Department's Inspector General accuses the FBI of underreporting its requests for information under the Patriot Act and being sloppy in its implementation, officials with knowledge of the report told CNN.

According to one official who has seen the report, it will show that the FBI underreported the use of National Security Letters by 20 percent.

The National Security Letters, which the FBI uses to request a variety of personal and business information, including financial, phone and Internet records without a court order, have been criticized by civil libertarians because of the secrecy surrounding them.

The Washington Post reported that in 2005 alone, the FBI issued more than 19,000 national security letters, amounting to 47,000 individual requests for information, according to the congressionally mandated audit.

According to the official, the audit describes "errors in the process, not gross violations of the law." He said it seemed to him to be a "failure in the oversight process to keep up with an increase in the volume of NSLs." (Posted 3 a.m.)

Hard-line parties capturing bulk of N. Ireland seats

BELFAST, Northern Ireland (CNN) -- Hard-line Catholic and Protestant parties have won the bulk of seats decided so far in the election for a new legislative assembly in Northern Ireland, a vote designed to clear the way for creation of a new power-sharing local executive that can pull support from across the sectarian divide.

Results for 72 of 108 assembly seats showed the Democratic Unionist Party, led by Protestant hard-liner Ian Paisley, had captured 25 seats, compared to 24 for Sinn Fein, the political wing of the Irish Republican Army, according to results from Britain's Press Association news agency.

A moderate Catholic party, the Social Democratic and Labor Party, had won 10 seats and the Ulster Unionists, a Protestant party which helped broker the 1998 Good Friday peace accords, had 9, with two smaller parties taking the remaining four seats.

Winners in the remaining 36 seats contested in Wednesday's election were expected to be determined Friday under Northern Ireland's complex system of preferential voting. (Posted 11:15 p.m.)

Former sailor, charged with espionage, set for transfer to Connecticut

PHOENIX (CNN) -- A former Navy sailor charged with passing along information about U.S. ship movements to men believed to be connected with al Qaeda has waived extradition and will be transferred from Phoenix to Connecticut within 10 days.

Public defender Deborah Euler-Ajayi told CNN that Hassan Abujihaad was in the custody of U.S. Marshals who would bring him across the country to face those charges. Because New Haven, Conn., where the charges were filed, does not have a holding facility, he will likely be held at Wyatt Correctional Center in neighboring Rhode Island, a law enforcement official told CNN.

She also told CNN that Abujihaad's brother has been subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury in Connecticut, and that she expects that body to convene within a month.

Abujihaad is charged with providing information regarding the classified movements of his U.S. Navy battle group as it traveled from California to the Persian Gulf region in 2001 to a London-based group called Azzam Publications, which operated English-language jihadi Web sites. (Posted 8:48 p.m.)

Georgia offers to triple troop deployment in Iraq

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Although several nations have announced they are withdrawing troops from the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq, Georgia on Thursday said it is ready to triple its troop deployment, and also offered to make additional troops available to support the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan.

Georgia deployed forces to Iraq in 2003, and currently has a total of about 850 troops in Iraq -- 550 of them in a United Nations contingent. The embassy noted the contribution makes Georgia one of the most significant contributors in the coalition effort on a per-capita basis.

Under President Mikhail Saakashvili's offer, the total number of Georgian troops would exceed 2,000, the embassy said. "Georgian military officials are already consulting with their Iraqi and U.S. counterparts to work out logistical and other issues associated with increased deployment." (Posted 7:49 p.m.)

6 die in IED attack; Army's pre-eminent combat division suffers worst attack since the start of the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Army has released the names of six paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne division who were killed Monday by an IED attack in Samarra, Iraq.

It was the deadliest day since the start of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq for the elite unit that is often first to be called when the U.S. military needs to respond quickly.

A group of paratroopers was on patrol when its up-armored Humvees were hit in an IED attack. Six paratroopers and an Iraqi interpreter died, three other paratroopers were wounded.

The names of those killed are Spc. Ryan M. Bell, 21, of Colville, Wash.; Staff Sgt. Justin M. Estes, 26, of Sims, Ark.; Pfc. Cory C. Kosters, 19, of Woodlands, Texas.; Sgt. Andrew C. Perkins, 27, of Northglenn, Colo.; Spc. Justin A. Rollins, 22, of Newport, N.H.; and Staff Sgt. Robert M. Stanley, 27, of Spotsylvania, Va.

Each of the paratroopers was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart and other decorations for their sacrifces in Iraq.

-- From CNN Pentagon Producer Larry Shaughnessy (Posted 6:56 p.m.)

Bush facing challenges in Latin America

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- During President Bush's seven-day swing through Latin America, he will find approval ratings as low as he faces in the United States and challenges as high, experts said Thursday.

"His real challenge, however, is that there is an enormous rejection of U.S. foreign policy in the world and America," said Arturo Valenzuela, director of the Center for Latin American Studies at Georgetown University. "In other words, there is very little affinity for the president's policies in Iraq and the ways in which he has conducted international relations over these years."

Still, the United States wields enormous influence in Latin America, a potential plus for Bush. "He's still the president of the United States," said Dan Restrepo of the Center for American Progress. "He may be the lame-duck president of the United States, but the U.S. is the most important trading partner for virtually every country in the Americas." --From CNN's Juan Carlos Lopez (Posted 6:32 p.m.)

Student demonstrators clash with Colombian riot police

BOGOTA, Colombia (CNN) -- Several hundred masked demonstrators fought running battles Thursday with riot police on the campus of this capital city's largest public university to protest the planned visit of U.S. President Bush on Sunday.

The demonstrators threw rocks and homemade explosives and launched fireworks through PVC tubes.

Police responded by firing water cannon and tear gas at the demonstrators, who kept up their efforts for three and a half hours.

Student leaders of the protest said they oppose Bush's visit because they oppose what they see as U.S. meddling in Colombia's internal affairs and oppose U.S. funding for the anti-drug and counter-insurgency efforts in Colombia. They also oppose Washington's efforts to push through free-trade deals. (Posted 5:28 p.m.)

Army assigns general to be Walter Reed's 'bureaucratic buster'

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Army's vice chief of staff said Thursday he has created the post of deputy commanding general of Walter Reed Army Medical Center to help address the problems at the hospital.

Gen. Richard Cody said Brig. Gen. Michael Tucker will become Walter Reed's "bureaucratic buster" and ombudsman to help soldiers recovering from war wounds cut through government red tape.

Cody told reporters that the Army already is developing an action plan to address the complaints of substandard conditions and complex bureaucracy outlined in a Washington Post series that began Feb. 18. Many of the changes also will apply to other military medical facilities.

Cody also said the Army is setting up a 24-hour wounded warrior and family hotline, with a 1-800 number that links directly to the Army Operations Center at the Pentagon. Military members worldwide will be able to take advantage of the service, which Cody said will be available soon. (Posted 3:33 p.m.)

House Democrats push two plans to get U.S. troops out of Iraq

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Two groups of House Democrats Thursday announced proposals to bring U.S. troops home from Iraq: one that would bring them back by the end of this year and another that would have them all out by the end of 2008.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she and Democratic leaders in Congress will propose a measure that will call for the withdrawal of U.S. troops in Iraq by the fall of 2008 -- or by the end of this year, if President Bush is unable to show that the Iraqi government is meeting certain established benchmarks.

In Brazil, where the president is on the first leg of a week-long trip to Latin America, a senior administration official told reporters that Bush would veto any such plan that made it through Congress.

Just before Pelosi's news conference to announce her group's proposed legislation, members of the Progressive Caucus and the Out of Iraq Caucus held a briefing to explain their legislation, which would require Congress to fully fund the safe and secure withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq by Dec. 31 of this year. (Posted 3:19 p.m.)

Oversight committee to probe White House's handling of CIA leak

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A former CIA agent whose identity was leaked to the press is expected to testify next week before a House committee as it wades into how White House officials, including Vice President Dick Cheney and Karl Rove, senior advisor to President Bush, dealt with her exposure.

Valerie Plame Wilson, the former agent, will appear March 16 before the congressional Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, its chairman, Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., said Thursday in a written statement.

Waxman also released a letter to federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald -- who on Tuesday won a conviction against Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Cheney's former chief of staff, in relation to the case -- requesting a meeting to discuss the possibility of Fitzgerald also testifying. (Posted 3:15 p.m.)

Northern Ireland vote count begins

BELFAST, Northern Ireland (CNN) -- Vote counting is under way in Northern Ireland after Wednesday's elections for a legislative assembly amid hopes of a new accord between politicians from each side of the troubled community's bitter sectarian divide.

Preliminary results were expected to be available later Thursday. The final count is due to be completed by Friday.

The hope is that the vote will round off the peace process begun in 1998 by seeing the Catholic Sinn Fein party, and its historical enemies, the Protestant hard-liners of the Democratic Unionist Party, agree to serve together in a power-sharing executive council.

But politicians have warned that failure would mark a major setback to efforts to bring stability to the region, with the British government setting a March 26 deadline for the two sides to agree to power-sharing.

Peter Hain, the British Northern Ireland secretary, told CNN that failure to reach an agreement by that date would mean there would be "no chance of a settlement for a good long time, maybe years." (Posted 12:39 p.m.)

State Dept. leaves door open to possible talks with Iran, Syria at Baghdad conference

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A top State Department official on Iraq suggested Thursday that the United States is open to bilateral talks with Iran or Syria at a conference in Baghdad this weekend if either country approaches it to discuss stabilizing Iraq.

"If we are approached over orange juice by the Syrians or the Iranians to discuss an Iraq-related issue that is germane to this topic -- stable, secure, peaceful, democratic Iraq -- we are not going to turn and walk away," David Satterfield, the State Department's Iraq coordinator, told reporters.

The conference will bring together Iraqi's neighbors, as well as the permanent members of the Security Council -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China.

Satterfield, who will represent the United States at the conference along with outgoing U.S. ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad, said such talks would depend in part on attitude of Tehran and Damascus. --From CNN's Zain Verjee and Elise Labott at the State Department (Posted 12:25 p.m.)

Former CIA chief spooked by U.S. fossil fuel dependence

LAS VEGAS (CNNMoney.com) -- So maybe it was part of his job to be paranoid, but former CIA head R. James Woolsey takes no comfort in the nation's reliance on oil and other fossil fuels.

Speaking at a reception at a renewable energy conference in Las Vegas co-hosted by the American Council on Renewable Energy, Woolsey told an attentive crowd that the country's heavy reliance on oil has the two-pronged effect of contributing to global warming and helping to finance global terrorism.

"We have risks to our infrastructure and our lives," said Woolsey, who sits on the advisory board of the renewable energy council.

He said of the billions of dollars Saudi Arabia gets from U.S. oil purchases, millions find their way to terrorist organizations within the Middle Eastern country. (Posted 11:25 a.m.)

Petraeus: U.S. military considering options on troop levels

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- The new commander of U.S. troops in Iraq said Thursday he is already examining how long the U.S. military will be able to continue operating with an increased level of troops in the country.

"I have mentioned to the secretary of defense (Robert Gates) and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs (Gen. Peter Pace) that we are doing that, there's no surprises in that," Gen. David Petraeus said during his first briefing as Multi-National Force-Iraq commander.

"It's something that we would obviously like to resolve well in advance of when you might have to make requests or take actions."

Petraeus said he would wait until all of the additional U.S. and Iraqi forces are in place by early June to make an assessment. (Posted 10:50 a.m.)

New York fire killed 8 children, 1 adult

NEW YORK (CNN) -- A residential building fire in the Bronx that killed nine people, including eight children, may have been started by a space heater or an overloaded power strip, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Thursday.

He said some of the people tossed children from windows in an effort to save them.

At least 10 residents were injured, Fire Department spokesman Seth Andrews said. Eight of them, including at least five children, were in critical condition at two hospitals. In addition, four firefighters and one emergency worker received minor injuries. Most of the residents apparently were from Mali in West Africa.

The fire marshal was investigating the cause of the blaze, which was fought by 138 firefighters.

The mayor said the children who died ranged in age from infants to 10 years old, and apparently were related, he added. A neighbor told CNN that four families lived in the building in the High Bridge section of the Bronx. The neighborhood is near Yankee Stadium. (Posted 10:18 a.m.)

Top U.S. general in Iraq: civilian safety top priority in violence stricken country

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Iraqi civilian safety will be a top priority during the security crackdown in Baghdad and volatile Anbar province, Gen. David Petraeus said during his first briefing as Multi-National Force-Iraq commander Thursday.

"As citizens feel safer, conditions will be set for the resumption and improvement of basic services," he said.

The last of the Iraqi surge battalions and Iraqi brigades have entered Baghdad this week and that buildup will continue through the spring, with U.S. and Iraqi forces joining in June, Petraeus said.

"This endeavor will take months -- not days or weeks to implement," he said, adding that by improving security for the Iraqi people an "upward spiral" of rekindled hope will result. (Posted 6:53 a.m.)

Death toll in Wednesday's Indonesian air crash is 22; 8 still missing

JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- The death toll from Wednesday's airplane accident in Indonesia stands at 22 -- 21 passengers and one crew member -- while eight people are still listed as missing, Indonesian air carrier Garuda Airlines said Thursday.

Of the 110 survivors, 67 remain in the hospital while 43 have been discharged, the airline said.

On Wednesday, Indonesian Transportation Minister Hatta Rajasa said 117 people had survived the crash while 23 had died. (Posted 6:41 a.m.)

EU official: Rafah border crossing temporarily closed after influx of Palestinians

GAZA CITY (CNN) -- A backlog of Palestinians trying to enter Egypt from Gaza dangerously crowded the Rafah crossing on Thursday, forcing European monitors to temporarily close the border post, a spokesman for the monitors told CNN.

The decision to close the post was made jointly by the Palestinians, the Israelis and the Europeans, said Jose Vericat, a spokesman for the European Union Monitoring Mission at Rafah.

Vericat could not confirm reports that there were casualties as a result of the influx of people trying to cross. (Posted 6:03 a.m.)

12 dead, 14 wounded after militia attack on Ugandan forces in Mogadishu

MOGADISHU, Somalia (CNN) -- Militia fighters attacked Ugandan forces with rocket-propelled grenades in an ambush late Wednesday in the Somali capital Mogadishu, residents told a local journalist.

Twelve people were killed and 14 were wounded when the RPGs struck a restaurant and a crowded bus station, hospital officials said.

A Ugandan military spokesperson in the African Union confirmed to CNN that Ugandan forces were attacked Wednesday.

About 400 Ugandan peacekeeping forces arrived in Mogadishu the previous day as part of the first contingent of the African Union Mission in Somalia -- AMISOM, in U.N. parlance -- charged with helping the war-torn country rebuild. (Posted 2:34 a.m.)

Death toll from Indonesian earthquake and aftershock increases

JAKARTA (CNN) -- The death toll from a strong earthquake, which was followed by an almost equally strong aftershock, that rocked Sumatra in western Indonesia Tuesday morning climbed to 73 on Thursday, according to disaster officials there.

In addition to the dead, 194 were injured, according to the Disaster Coordinating Center in west Sumatra.

On Tuesday Indonesian television showed widespread damage to buildings on the island, including a hospital that had to be evacuated. (Posted 12:45 a.m.)

Couey guilty in murder of 9-year-old girl

MIAMI (CNN) -- A convicted sex offender was convicted Wednesday of abducting, raping and killing 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford by burying her alive, a case that sparked national outrage and led to stricter Florida laws regarding registration and supervision of released sexual predators.

After deliberating for about four hours, a Miami jury convicted John Evander Couey of first-degree murder in Jessica's death. She was abducted two years ago from her home in Homosassa, Fla., and found buried three weeks later at the home of Couey's half-sister, within sight of her own home. (Posted 11:30 p.m.)

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