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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. U.S. military launches operation against al Qaeda in IraqBAGHDAD (CNN) -- The U.S. military early Tuesday launched a "large-scale" operation against al Qaeda in Iraq militants in the Baquba area, north of Baghdad, killing at least 22 enemy fighters, the Army said in a statement. "The end state is to destroy the al Qaeda influences in this province and eliminate their threat against the people," said Brig. Gen. Mick Bednarek of the 25th Infantry Division. "That is the number one, bottom-line, up-front, in-your-face, task and purpose." Operation Arrowhead Ripper will ultimately involve about 10,000 soldiers and "a full complement of attack helicopters, close air support, Strykers and Bradley Fighting Vehicles." The operation is in its opening stages, according to the military. (Posted 2:35 a.m.) Vilma Espin, Raul Castro's wife, dead at 77HAVANA (CNN) -- Vilma Espin, the wife of acting Cuban leader Raul Castro and a veteran of the island's communist revolution in 1959, has died at age 77, Cuban state television announced Monday. Espin, the sister-in-law of longtime Cuban President Fidel Castro, was known as Cuba's unofficial "first lady" for years before the ailing Fidel ceded power to his brother last July. Cuban television reported she died after a prolonged illness, but released no further details. The daughter of a lawyer for the Bacardi rum family, Espin studied chemical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston before embracing Castro's rebel movement and fighting alongside her future husband and brother-in-law in the Sierra Maestra mountains. She was among the revolutionaries who joined Castro and was the highest-profile woman in the Cuban government, serving as president of the Cuban Women's Federation and holding a seat on the Central Committee of the ruling Communist Party. Espin appeared at numerous events alongside Fidel Castro and represented the country abroad. -- From CNN's Shasta Darlington (Posted 8:42 p.m.) Iraq drives up refugee count for first time since 2002, U.N. says(CNN) -- The number of refugees worldwide has gone up for the first time in five years, largely because of the exodus of more than 1 million Iraqis from their war-torn homeland in 2006, according to a U.N. report out Monday. The number of refugees counted by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees grew by 14 percent in 2006 to about 9.9 million, the Geneva-based agency reported. That was the first increase since 2002. The 1.2 million Iraqis who sought refuge in neighboring Jordan and Syria during the year were the biggest reason for the increase, UNHCR said. Roughly half a million Iraqis fled to Jordan and more than 700,000 to Syria, putting both countries among the nations with the 10 highest refugee populations. A change in the U.S. government's methodology for calculating its refugee population also drove the worldwide refugee total upward by more than 460,000. Fewer than 300,000 Iraqis had fled the country before 2006, when sectarian warfare between the country's Shiite and Sunni Muslim populations erupted following the bombing of a revered Shiite mosque in the northern city of Samarra, the report found. (Posted 8:25 p.m.) Report: Lawmakers using campaign, PAC funds to pay relativesWASHINGTON (CNN) -- Members of Congress are legally barred from putting their spouses, children or other family members on their official payroll, but a newly released analysis shows that money is still flowing legally into the pockets of lawmakers' relatives through their campaign funds and political action committees. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, which bills itself as a non-profit, non-partisan watchdog group, analyzed financial disclosure reports for the last three campaign cycles and found that House members paid at least $1.6 million to relatives or their companies via campaign committees or PACs. The group's analysis, released Monday, looked only at 337 House members who held either leadership positions or committee or subcommittee chairmanships from 2002 through 2006. It did not take into account senators or House members who did not hold leadership positions. Melanie Sloane, the group's executive director, charged the payments to family members amounted to "a huge loophole." (Posted 7:44 p.m.) Videotape supposedly shows suicide bomber 'graduation'WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A videotape purportedly showing a suicide bomber "graduation ceremony" at an al Qaeda-Taliban training camp is part of a propaganda campaign from the terrorist network and the former rulers of Afghanistan, a U.S. counterterrorism official said Monday. The video, obtained and first aired by ABC News, was said to have been shot June 9 by a Pakistani journalist who was invited to attend and take pictures as the suicide bombers were supposedly sent off on their missions in the United States, Canada, Great Britain and Germany. The video included images of Taliban military commander Mansoor Dadullah, and one of the suicide bomber team leaders spoke in English. CNN could not immediately verify the tape's authenticity. (Posted 7:43 p.m.) Duke, ex-lacrosse players reach settlement(CNN) -- Duke University has reached an undisclosed settlement with three former lacrosse players who were falsely accused of rape, the school announced Monday. "This past year has been hard for many people who care about Duke -- for students, faculty, staff, alumni, families and friends -- and for the three students and their families most of all," the Duke board of trustees said in a written statement. "We resolve to bring the Duke family together gain, and to work to protect others from similar injustices in the criminal justice system in the future." The three students posted a statement on the Duke Web site saying, "We hope that today's resolution will begin to bring the Duke family back together again, and we look forward to working with the University to develop and implement initiatives that will prevent similar injustices and ensure that the lessons of last year are never forgotten." David Evans, Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann were charged with sexually assaulting an escort-service dancer at a party in March last year. (Posted 5:35 p.m.) Brother of pilot of 9-11 plane running for CongressWASHINGTON (CNN) -- Jim Ogonowski admits he has an uphill climb but hopes his message about the need to bolster homeland security and stay tough on terrorism will be enough to persuade the voters of Massachusetts' 5th Congressional District to send a Republican to the U.S. House of Representatives for the first time in more than three decades. Ogonowski, a just-retired 28-year veteran of the Air Force, also has an inspiring personal story that is gaining attention. His brother, John Ogonowski, was a pilot on American Airlines Flight 11, the first plane to hit the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. "It is part of my history. It is part of the history of this country," he told CNN. Ogonowski is running for the Republican nomination for the seat currently held by Rep. Marty Meehan, D-Mass, who has said he will not seek re-election. Political experts believe Ogonowski will win the GOP nomination in the Sept. 4 primary. But several locally well-known and experienced Democrats vying in their primary to see who will move on to the October general election, and David King, a political expert with Harvard University and its Kennedy School of Government, believes Ogonowski faces a daunting challenge. --From CNN Senior Producer Kevin Bohn and Homeland Security Correspondent Jeanne Meserve (Posted 4:59 p.m.) White House aides used GOP e-mail to skirt law, House report findsWASHINGTON (CNN) -- White House officials used Republican Party e-mail accounts to conduct official government business, but a "large volume" of their messages have been deleted, a House committee reported Monday. Republican National Committee officials kept e-mail records for only 37 of the 88 White House aides who used party e-mail accounts, investigators from the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee concluded. Those 27 accounts included nearly 675,000 individual messages -- more than 140,000 of them from Karl Rove, President Bush's top political adviser. "Whether intentionally or inadvertently, it appears that the RNC has destroyed a large volume of the e-mails of White House officials who used RNC e-mail accounts," the report states. The White House says the accounts were set up to keep political work separate from official business. But investigators found that White House officials used GOP e-mail accounts to conduct official business in a manner that "circumvented" the Watergate-era Presidential Records Act. (Posted 4:30 p.m.) Justice inspector general says improvements needed in reporting missing sensitive dataWASHINGTON (CNN) -- Several government agencies are too slow to report computer security failures that result in the widespread loss of sensitive personal information, according to a new report by the Justice Department's inspector general. The investigation found the government's goal of reporting such cases within one hour, when immediate responses are crucial, is not being met by any of the nine Justice Department components examined. Those whose personal information may have been compromised also were not promptly informed, the report said. The report analyzed nearly 200 incidents in which personal data were potentially compromised when computers -- usually laptops -- containing highly sensitive personal information on disks and other storage devices were lost or stolen. The 142-page report released Monday said all of the offices studied had policies and procedures to respond to the loss of sensitive data. However, their reporting of the incidents did not meet standards set by the Office of Management and Budget. --From Justice Producer Terry Frieden (Posted 4:30 p.m.) High court rejects Alabama death row appeal over access to lawyersWASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Supreme Court on Monday refused to accept an appeal from eight death-row inmates in Alabama who claimed the state has refused to appoint lawyers to help them with post-conviction appeals. The justices, without comment, decided not to hear the class-action petition on behalf of some 40 other indigent prisoners, led by Christopher Barbour, convicted in the 1992 stabbing death of a Montgomery woman. The convicted murderers claimed Alabama is the only state that does not automatically provide post-conviction legal assistance. The men claimed they are "no longer able to obtain enough volunteer lawyers to represent Alabama's death-row prisoners." Many capital defendants do not have the financial resources to mount what can often be a decades-long appeals process in the state and federal courts. The Supreme Court in 1989 ruled there is no federal constitutional right to state post-conviction legal counsel. A federal appeals court in Atlanta cited that case in denying the Alabama prisoner's appeal. --From CNN Supreme Court Producer Bill Mears (Posted 2:42 p.m.) NYC 'fake firefighter' sentenced to prisonNEW YORK (CNN) -- Peter Braunstein, who was convicted of dressing as a firefighter and sexually assaulting a former co-worker for 13 hours, was sentenced Monday to 18 years to life in prison on a kidnapping charge. Braunstein, 43, was convicted May 23 of kidnapping, robbing and molesting his victim -- a former colleague at a women's fashion magazine. In addition to the 18-years-to-life sentence on the kidnapping charge, Braunstein was sentenced to a total of 20 years, to be served concurrently, on charges of burglary, robbery and sex abuse. --From CNN's Amy Sahba (Posted 2:41 p.m.) Rice offers support for AbbasWASHINGTON (CNN) -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Monday the United States fully supports the government of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and is prepared to resume direct aid to it. Rice said President Bush told Abbas, in a phone call Monday morning, that "the United States supports his legitimate decision to form an emergency government of responsible Palestinians." Rice spoke Monday with newly appointed Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and "told him that the United States would resume full assistance to the Palestinian government and normal government-to-government contacts," she told reporters at the State Department. "We intend to lift our financial restrictions on the Palestinian government," she added. "This will enable the American people and American financial institutions to resume normal economic and commercial ties with the Palestinian government." (Posted 1:58 p.m.) Dutch soldier, 2 police killed in Afghanistan(CNN) -- A Dutch soldier with NATO's International Security Assistance Force was killed Monday and three were wounded in southern Afghanistan, the Dutch Ministry of Defense said. The three wounded are in stable condition and expected to fully recover, the ministry said. A ministry spokesman said this is the third combat-related death of a Dutch soldier in Afghanistan. The first was in April; the second was Friday, when a soldier was killed by a suicide bomb. Eight Dutch soldiers have died in Operation Enduring Freedom, which centers on Afghanistan. NATO issued a news release Monday announcing that an ISAF soldier had been killed and three were wounded "in events during fighting today. Two Afghan National Policemen were also reported killed, as were a large number of enemy extremist fighters." NATO does not name soldiers' nationalities in such announcements, leaving that to the individual countries. (Posted 1:44 p.m.) Rice offers support for AbbasWASHINGTON (CNN) -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Monday the United States fully supports the government of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and is prepared to resume direct aid to it. (Posted 1:37 p.m.) EU, U.S., Israel vow financial support for new Palestinian government as it tries to extend mandate into GazaJERUSALEM (CNN) -- The United States and the European Union announced Monday they are willing to restart hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the new Palestinian government set up by President Mahmoud Abbas in the wake of Hamas' recent takeover of Gaza. In addition, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert promised to release hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue that had been frozen to prevent funding the previous Hamas-led government. Abbas is hoping that the money will help bolster his government and extend its mandate into Gaza, where it has no authority. "We cannot let down at this moment the Palestinian people who live in Gaza," EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana said. (Posted 1:01 p.m.) Supreme Court affirms passengers' rights during police traffic stopsWASHINGTON (CNN) -- A parole violator arrested after police stopped the vehicle in which he was riding won a unanimous Supreme Court victory Monday, in an important legal test for passenger rights. Bruce Brendlin was later given a four-year prison term for possession and manufacture of methamphetamine after the November 2001 police stop, even though the state later admitted the stop was not justified. At issue was whether passengers in private vehicles pulled over by law enforcement officers have a right to challenge the stop as an unconstitutional "seizure." Drivers who remain in their vehicles have enjoyed greater protection in suppressing evidence found after an illegal stop. The justices rejected the state's argument that Brendlin was free to get out of the car and walk away. "We think that in these circumstances any reasonable passenger would have understood the police officers to be exercising control to the point that no one in the car was free to depart without police permission," said Justice David Souter, on behalf of his eight colleagues. --From CNN Supreme Court Producer Bill Mears (Posted 12:49 p.m.) State Dept. officials: U.S. to resume funding Palestinian governmentWASHINGTON (CNN) -- The United States is prepared to resume direct aid to the Palestinian government appointed by President Mahmoud Abbas, senior State Department officials told CNN Monday. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will announce the plan at a Monday news conference. The United States, along with the European Union, stopped funding the Palestinian government last year after Hamas won legislative elections because the Islamic fundamentalist group calls for the destruction of Israel. The EU announced Monday it would also resume direct aid to the Palestinian government under newly appointed Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. (Posted 12:06 p.m.) Saudi king to visit SpainMADRID (CNN) -- Saudi King Abdullah has arrived in Spain, a government official said Monday. It is the king's first trip to a Western country since he ascended to the throne two years ago. The king will meet with Spain's King Juan Carlos and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero on the visit, which ends Wednesday. Juan Carlos visited Saudi Arabia last year. The Saudi visit will focus on efforts to bring peace to the Middle East, security issues, including the fight against international terror, global energy issues and strengthening economic ties between the two nations, said the Saudi ambassador to Spain, Prince Saud Bin Naif Al Saud, a member of the Saudi royal family and a nephew of the king. Abdullah succeeded King Fahd, who died in 2005 after guiding the world's largest oil exporter for more than two decades. As king, Abdullah has visited the Far East and Arab states, but not yet a Western country, Al Saud said. --From CNN Madrid Bureau Chief Al Goodman (Posted 11:16 a.m.) Soldier, 2 police killed in Afghanistan(CNN) -- A soldier with NATO's International Security Assistance Force was killed Monday and three were wounded in southern Afghanistan, NATO said. Two Afghan police were reported killed as well, along with "a large number of enemy extremist fighters," NATO said in a news release. "Fighting in the Chowreh district of Uruzgan province has been ongoing for three days." ISAF spokesman Maj. John Thomas said allied troops are trying to "exert Afghan government control over a contested area." (Posted 10:53 a.m.) Iraqi forces detain 4 believed linked to mosque bombingBAGHDAD (CNN) -- Iraqi Security Forces have arrested four people believed linked to last week's bombing of a Shiite mosque in Samarra, the U.S. military announced Monday. Acting on "previous intelligence," the forces raided a building and detained the four "without incident," the military said in a news release. "Iraqi forces also seized several documents of propaganda, a CD showing attacks against coalition forces, several cell phones, 10 feet of detonation cord, 81 blasting caps, identification cards for Askariya Mosque access and multiple photos depicting terrorist training." The release said coalition forces "served as advisers" during the operation. (Posted 10:26 a.m.) New Palestinian government tries to extend mandate into GazaJERUSALEM (CNN) -- The emergency Palestinian government -- formed in the wake of Hamas' takeover of Gaza -- continued Monday to shore up political and economic support in an attempt to further isolate the previous Hamas-led leadership. A day after swearing in a new cabinet, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas dissolved the national security council, which had been formed under the previous Fatah-Hamas unity government, according to a Palestinian political source. The council was responsible for deciding which parts of Gaza and the West Bank would be controlled by Fatah forces and Hamas forces. Meanwhile, the European Union announced Monday that it will resume direct aid to the Palestinian government under newly appointed Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. "We cannot let down at this moment the Palestinian people who live in Gaza," EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana said. Europe is the largest single donor to the Palestinian territories. Before Hamas won legislative elections last year, the EU provided over $600 million in aid -- about half of it directly funding the Palestinian Authority. Determining how the money will reach the people in Gaza where the government has no control still has to be worked out, Solana said. (Posted 9:30 a.m.) U.S. soldier killed in IED attackBAGHDAD (CNN) -- A U.S. soldier was killed by an IED attack in southern Baghdad, the military said Monday. The soldier's name was not immediately released, pending notification of next-of-kin. "Elements of this unit have conducted numerous patrols and raids in Baghdad this past month. These operations have netted 12 weapons caches and several arrests in an effort to provide a more secure environment for Iraqi citizens," the U.S. military said in a news release announcing the death. The U.S. military death toll in the Iraq war now stands at 3,526. (Posted 9:29 a.m.) Moscow wins again as most expensive city, with London as runner upNEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- If your boss wants to transfer you to Moscow this year, he'd better offer you a fair sum to do so - or even a downright handsome one depending on where you live now. That's because Moscow has just been designated the world's most expensive city for the second year in a row by Mercer Human Resource Consulting. Using the cost of living in New York as a base, Mercer determined Moscow is 34.4 percent more expensive after taking into account the cost of housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment. A luxury two-bedroom in Moscow now rents for $4,000 a month; a CD costs $24.83, and an international newspaper, $6.30, according to Mercer. By comparison, a fast food meal with a burger is a steal at $4.80. London takes the No. 2 spot, up from No. 5 a year ago, thanks to higher rents and a stronger British pound relative to the dollar. Mercer estimates London is 26 percent more expensive than Gotham these days. Following closely on London's heels are Seoul and Tokyo -- Nos. 3 and 4, respectively -- both of which are 22 percent more expensive than New York, while No. 5 Hong Kong is 19 percent more costly. --From CNNMoney.com senior writer Jeanne Sahadi (Posted 7:29 a.m.) Israeli company resumes Gaza gasoline shipmentsJERUSALEM (CNN) -- The Israeli fuel company that is the sole supplier of gasoline for motorists in Gaza announced Monday it will resume regular shipments to the Palestinian territory. Dor Alon said on Sunday that it would halt gasoline shipments in the wake of Hamas' take-over of Gaza, but would continue to supply gasoline to Gaza's electricity power plant. It will resume shipments in coordination with all the "relevant factors," according to a news release. (Posted 6:17 a.m.) Nasiriya clashes kill 2, wound 52; Baghdad car bombs kill 9BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Two car bombs exploded close to each other near a fuel station in southwest Baghdad at noon Monday, killing nine people and wounding 25, an Iraqi Interior Ministry official said. The explosions, which happened on a road between the Saydiya and Dora districts, also damaged several cars, the official said. Gunmen opened fire on garbage collectors in western Baghdad's Mansour district Monday, killing one and wounding four others, a Baghdad police official said. Garbage collectors are often targeted by insurgents because they discover hidden roadside bombs, the official said. In the southern Iraq city of Nasiriya, two people were killed -- including an Iraqi police officer -- and 52 people were wounded in clashes between Iraqi security forces and Mahdi militia loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada Sadr, according to an Iraqi Interior Ministry official. Nasiriya is a Shiite city about 230 miles south of Baghdad. (Posted 5:43 a.m.) Coalition raids target flow of Iranian aid to insurgentsBAGHDAD (CNN) -- Coalition raids aimed at disrupting the flow of weapons and fighters between Iraq and Iran resulted in at least 20 militants killed early Monday in eastern Iraq, according to a statement from the U.S. military. Coalition aircraft were called in to strafe fighters who attacked coalition troops in Amarah and Majjar al-Kabir, two Shiite cities in the Mayson province bordering Iran, the military said. "During the close air support, at least 20 terrorists were killed and six suspected terrorists were assessed to be wounded by the strafing," the military said. "A vehicle being used by the terrorists as a fighting position was also destroyed by the close air support." Coalition forces captured militants who are "believed to be members of the secret cell terrorist network known for facilitating the transport of weapons and explosively formed penetrators, or EFPs, from Iran to Iraq, as well as bringing militants from Iraq to Iran for terrorist training," the military said. The military said it has intelligence reports indicating that Amarah and Majjar al-Kabir are safe havens and smuggling routes for terrorists to import Iranian weapons into Iraq for the insurgency. (Posted 4 a.m.) Airstrike targeting al Qaeda kills 7 children in Afghan madrassa(CNN) -- Seven children were killed in airstrike by the U.S.-led coalition on a compound in eastern Afghanistan where al Qaeda fighters were believed gathered Sunday, according to a U.S. military statement. Several militants were also killed and two were detained, according to the military. A U.S. military spokesman said there was no sign of children around the targeted building before the airstrike was ordered. "We had surveillance on the compound all day and saw no indications there were children inside the building," said Army Maj. Chris Belcher, spokesman for the coalition. The military said other children who survived said that they were forced to stay inside the building throughout the day. "Credible intelligence named the compound, which contained a mosque and a madrassa, as a suspected safehouse for al Qaeda fighters," the statement said. "Coalition forces confirmed the presence of nefarious activity occurring at the site before getting approval to conduct an air strike on the location." The military said that residents later confirmed that al Qaeda fighters had been present in the compound in Paktika province's Zarghun Shahr district all day Sunday. (Posted 12:35 a.m.) |
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