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Sunday, May 6

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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 Time.

Senior U.S. commander shot, evacuated from Iraq

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- A senior U.S. commander has been wounded in Iraq and was evacuated from the country for further treatment, two military sources told CNN Sunday.

The sources identified him as Col. Billy Don Farris -- the commander of the 2nd Brigade of the Army's 82nd Airborne Division.

CNN was was told that Farris was "shot in the leg and will recover," and was awarded a Purple Heart by Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, before he left Iraq. (Posted 11:30 p.m.)

Sarkozy wins French presidency, claims mandate for change

PARIS (CNN) -- Conservative Nicolas Sarkozy promised to "give a chance to everyone" as the next president of France, vowing to put the country back to work after winning office in a Sunday runoff.

Sarkozy beat Socialist rival Segolene Royal by a 53-47 percent margin, according to final results from the French Interior Ministry, after a campaign dominated by debates over immigration, economic growth and reducing unemployment among the young. He said he would put in place an immigration policy "that is going to be controlled" and a development policy "that is going to be ambitious."

"I will give a chance to everyone," he told cheering supporters at his campaign headquarters. "But in the republic I want to serve, there can not be any without duties. Everyone will have an opportunity -- but you will have to deserve this opportunity through your work."

Sarkozy, 52, a former interior minister, will be the first French president born after World War II. He succeed current President Jacques Chirac, a conservative who has held office since 1995. (Posted 8:50 p.m.)

Iraqi police headquarters bombed; 12 officers dead, 13 others wounded

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Twelve Iraqi police officers were killed and 11 were wounded -- in addition to two U.S. soldiers -- when insurgents attacked an Iraqi police headquarters in Samarra, just north of the Iraqi capital, on Sunday, the U.S. military said.

A Samarra police official said a suicide car bomber exploded outside the headquarters just as a curfew imposed to prevent such attacks was lifted.

The U.S. military called in reinforcements to help secure the area. While en route to the area, insurgents fired upon the reinforcements with small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades, the military said. (Posted 2:56 p.m.)

9 U.S. soldiers die in Iraq on Sunday, all but one in combat

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- The U.S. military reported nine soldiers died in Iraq on Sunday -- all but one in combat -- bringing to 25 the number of American service members who have died in Iraq in the first week of May.

The deadliest attack happened Sunday in Diyala Province, north of Baghdad, when a roadside bomb struck a U.S. military vehicle, killing six U.S. soldiers and a civilian journalist.

The military did not release the journalist's nationality.

Two Task Force Lightning soldiers also sustained injuries in that attack. (Posted 2:52 p.m.)

Gas prices hit record high

(CNN) -- The price of gasoline has hit a new record high, averaging $3.07 for a gallon of self-serve regular in the United States, a survey reported Sunday.

When inflation is factored in, the new price trails the all-time high in March 1981. At the time, gasoline cost $1.35 a gallon -- in today's dollars, that's $3.13 a gallon, said Trilby Lundberg, publisher of the Lundberg Survey.

Still, in raw numbers, the $3.07 beats the previous high of $3.03 in August.

The survey, which took into account the prices at thousands of gas stations nationwide on May 4, found a 19-cent jump from the previous survey two weeks earlier. (Posted 2:52 p.m.)

2 U.S. soldiers killed near Kabul prison

(CNN) -- An apparent Afghan soldier shot and killed two U.S. soldiers and wounded two others near Kabul, Afghanistan, a spokesman for the U.S. military said Sunday.

The incident occurred at 3:30 p.m. (7 a.m. ET) outside the Policharki prison, said Maj. Sheldon Smith, who added that Afghan National Army soldiers shot and killed the shooter.

He said it appeared to have been a "random and spontaneous event, no apparent motive."

Policharki prison was the site of deadly riots in February 2006. (Posted 2:18 p.m.)

8 U.S. soldiers, journalist killed in Sunday bomb attacks

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Eight U.S. soldiers were killed in separate bomb attacks in Iraq on Sunday, the U.S. military announced.

Six U.S. soldiers assigned to Task Force Lightning and a civilian journalist were killed in an attack in Iraq's Diyala province. The military did not release the journalist's nationality.

Two soldiers also sustained injuries in that attack.

In Baghdad, two U.S. Multi-National soldiers were killed in separate attacks and two more were wounded, the military said. (Posted 2:14 p.m.)

Sarkozy wins French presidency

PARIS (CNN) -- Conservative Nicolas Sarkozy was elected Sunday to a five-year term as France's president with 53 percent of the vote, polls for France's state-run network, France 2 said.

Socialist Segolene Royal, a 53-year-old mother of four, acknowledged her defeat in a speech to supporters moments after the polls closed at 8 p.m. (2 p.m. ET).

"Keep the faith, keep intact your enthusiasm," she said at her party's headquarters. "I will keep on fighting the fight that we have started today."

Sarkozy, a former interior minister, and Royal were in a run-off after emerging as the top candidates from the first round of voting on April 22.

Sarkozy will replace Jacques Chirac, a conservative who has been France's president since 1995. His election makes him the first French president born after World War II. (Posted 2:14 p.m.)

British soldier dies from combat wounds in Iraq

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- A British soldier died Sunday from wounds sustained last week when a roadside bomb struck the soldier's convoy vehicle in southern Iraq, the British Defense Ministry said.

The soldier, serving in Basra with the Royal Logistic Corps in Iraq, was "seriously injured" in the blast and was flown back to Britain after receiving preliminary medical care at a field hospital.

"Sadly, and despite the best possible medical care, the soldier died as a result of the injures this afternoon," the ministry said in a Sunday statement.

With the death, 148 British military personnel have died in the Iraq war. (Posted 1:13 p.m.)

Weekend midwest tornado-packing storms claim 10th life

(CNN) -- The severe weather that tore through Kansas late Saturday killed one person in Ottawa, in the central part of the state, bringing the death toll from the weekend storms to 10, Kansas Emergency Management Agency spokeswoman Sharon Watson said Sunday.

Watson told CNN she did not know if the person was male or female. The individual had been in a camper along with three other people who were injured. The storm in the area "potentially" included a tornado, she said.

Nine people were killed when tornadoes passed through Kansas Friday night. (Posted 1:05 p.m.)

Tornado-ravaged town picks up the pieces

GREENSBURG, Kansas (CNN) -- Rescue crews in Greensburg, Kansas Sunday resumed piecing through the rubble of the town destroyed by tornadoes Friday night, as parts of Oklahoma were reeling from a new set of twisters that came Saturday night.

Residents of the region were also bracing for yet another set of storms on the way. The National Weather Service said it was forecasting the "development of a few strong tornadoes over parts of the central plains Sunday afternoon and Sunday night.

"The areas most likely to experience this activity include central Kansas, western Oklahoma, and the eastern Texas panhandle," the NWS said.

Nine people were killed in the twisters Friday night in Kansas -- eight in Kiowa (prono: KY'-oh-wah) County, which includes Greensburg, and one in Stafford County to the northeast, officials said. The one in Stafford was a sheriff's deputy, the Kansas Highway Patrol said.

More than 50 people were injured, authorities said. (Posted 11:58 a.m.)

High voter turnout in France, as voters choose next president

PARIS (CNN) -- French voters turned out in high numbers Sunday to replace long-term President Jacques Chirac, choosing between a conservative candidate with tough views on immigration and a socialist who warned of riots if her rival is elected.

Conservative Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist Segolene Royal are in a run-off after emerging as the top candidates from the first round of voting on April 22. The winner will replace Chirac, a conservative who has been France's president since 1995.

The campaign has been dominated by a debate over how to improve economic growth and reduce unemployment among the young, but its most explosive moments focused on immigration. (Posted 11:29 a.m.)

Insurgent bomb attacks kill at least 45, wound 97

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Insurgents wreaked havoc by killing at least 45 people and wounding 97 others in multiple bomb attacks in Baghdad and Samarra.

The deadliest bomb attack took place in a market in southwestern Baghdad's Bayaa section around noon. An Iraqi interior ministry official said a parked car bomb explosion killed 33 people and wounded 74 others.

Insurgents frequently target busy markets to produce the most carnage. Police and government officials are also prime targets. (Posted 11:06 a.m.)

4 U.S. troop deaths announced by military

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- The U.S. military on Sunday announced the deaths of four U.S. troops in Iraq over the past two days, bringing to 14 the number of American service members who have died in Iraq in the first week of May.

All but one of the deaths are combat-related. (Posted 9:25 a.m.)

U.S., Iraqi forces find torture chamber, massive artillery in Sadr City

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- U.S. and Iraqi forces chasing a "terrorist" with ties to Iran early Sunday discovered a torture chamber and a massive amount of artillery stored in a building in Baghdad's Sadr City, according to the U.S. military.

The building was destroyed in a controlled explosion by a U.S. military ordnance team.

The raid took place in the pre-dawn hours of Sunday, and triggered a gunbattle that left eight to 10 gunmen dead, according to the U.S. military. There were no reports of any casualties among coalition or Iraqi security forces. (Posted 9:20 a.m.)

Palestinian militants attack school festival, killing lawmaker's bodyguard; 6 wounded

GAZA CITY (CNN) -- Palestinian militants Sunday attacked a United Nations school festival in southern Gaza, killing the bodyguard of a Fatah lawmaker, according to Palestinian security and medical sources.

Six others were wounded in the incident at the al-Umariya School in Rafah, near the Gaza-Egypt border, the sources said.

An hour before the attack, about 50 Salafist militants had been prevented by security guards from entering the school and distributing flyers protesting the festival, security sources said. (Posted 8:20 a.m.)

Turkey's parliament fails to vote for president, Gul withdraws

ANKARA, Turkey (CNN) -- Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul has withdrawn from the race to be Turkey's president after supporters were unable to gather the necessary two-thirds quorum in the parliament for a vote on his candidacy.

It is the second time parliament has been unable to vote on Gul, due to a boycott by opposition parties.

The crisis reflects the rapidly growing fears among Turkish secularists that choosing Gul as president would harm the country's secular system, which has been designed since 1923 to keep Islam out of public life.

Despite its secular system, Turkey has a predominantly Muslim population and is ruled by the democratically elected AK Party, a movement with Islamist roots. (Posted 7:30 a.m.)

Bush declares major disaster in southwest Kansas

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush has declared that a major disaster area exists in Kiowa County, Kansas, making federal aid available to the individuals and communities to help in the recovery from two days of severe storms, tornadoes and flooding, the White House said.

The town of Greensburg was devastated by a huge tornado Friday evening.

"Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster," the White House statement said. (Posted 6:39 a.m.)

Sinai peacekeepers plane crashes

(CNN) -- A French military plane with at least eight people on board crashed during a multinational peacekeeping force training mission in Egypt's Sinai peninsula, according to a spokesman for the Multinational Forces and Observers.

The DeHavilland Twin Otter carried eight French troops and possibly another passenger, said Normand St. Pierre.

He said there is no indication that anyone survived the crash. (Posted 6:18 a.m.)

Severe weather plagues central states Saturday night

(CNN) -- A day after a tornado killed nine people and injured more than 50 in Kansas, the severe weather continued across the central part of the nation Saturday night.

Numerous tornadoes were reported in Kansas, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Iowa and Texas. The National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center said more than 75 tornado touchdowns had been reported on Saturday -- 40 of them between the hours of 7 and 10 p.m. ET.

Eleven people were injured in Osborne, Kan., when a tornado struck a Pizza Hut and a nearby hotel, according to Juanita Arnold, emergency management director for Osborne County, in the northern part of the state.

Already hard-hit Kiowa County did not escape Saturday's severe weather, going under several tornado warnings. Greensburg, the town largely destroyed by a tornado late Friday, is located in Kiowa County. (Posted 11:36 p.m.)


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