The CNN Wire: Saturday, July 21

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.

Flooding halts train in its tracks in Texas

(CNN) -- Flooding halted an Amtrak train in its tracks Saturday west of San Antonio, Texas, stranding passengers for about eight hours before they were taken by bus to El Paso, an Amtrak spokeswoman said.

Vernae Graham told CNN Saturday night that about 176 passengers on the Sunset Limited train who had been stuck since 10:30 a.m. ET were to board another train for the remainder of their trip to Los Angeles.

The Sunset Limited was stopped near the tiny town of Knippa, 50 miles west of San Antonio. Many areas north and west of Knippa had received 12 to 15 inches of rain by Saturday night. (Posted 11:12 p.m.)

Flamboyant former televangelist Tammy Faye dies

(CNN) -- Tammy Faye Bakker Messner, the former televangelist and Christian singer who battled drug addiction and, later, inoperable cancer, died Friday, according to CNN's Larry King, who made the delayed announcement Saturday night at the request of her family.

She was 65. Tammy Faye was a guest on "Larry King Live" on Thursday. She told him she couldn't swallow food, and weighed only 65 pounds.

"She died peacefully. Anyone who saw her on our show this week knew that she didn't have long," King said.

Tammy Faye was cremated and interred Saturday in a remote part of Kansas at the Kansas-Oklahoma state line, he said.

King said the family postponed the death announcement for a day so the family could gather. (Posted 9:35 p.m.)

FDA: Recall for hot dog chile sauce expands

ATLANTA (CNN) -- A recall of hot dog chile sauce that could cause botulism has been expanded to more products and to all expiration dates on the cans, the FDA said Saturday.

A list of the additional products is to be posted on the Web site of the Food and Drug Administration Saturday night, said Dr. Robert Brackett, the FDA's director of food safety.

The chile sauce is manufactured by the Castleberry Food Company in Augusta, Ga., and is marketed as Castleberry's Hot Dog Chili Sauce, Austex Hot Dog Chili Sauce, and Kroger Hot Dog Chili Sauce.

Symptoms of poisoning include vision problems, dry mouth, muscle weakness and difficulty breathing due to paralysis, and can appear from six hours to two weeks after ingesting the toxin. (Posted 8:15 p.m.)

Rapture over Iraq soccer team victory inspires joy, unfolds in tragedy

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Violent jubilation over an Iraqi national soccer team victory on Saturday led to the deaths of three people and the wounding of 25 others, Iraq's Interior Ministry said.

Iraq defeated Vietnam 2-0 in the Asian Cup games, held at Rajamangala Stadium in Thailand. Thousands of Iraqis poured on to the streets to celebrate and did so in a common but perilous fashion -- shooting their firearms in the air. And as a result, people were shot in a barrage of bullets across the capital.

Iraq has reached "the final four of the continent's premier competition for the first time since 1976," the AFC Asian Cup 2007 games Web site says.

"Iraq, who bowed out of the last three Asian Cups at the quarter-final stage, head to Kuala Lumpur to face either neighbors Iran or Korea Republic in the semi-finals on Wednesday," the site says. Kuala Lumpur is in Malaysia. (Posted 4:07 p.m.)

Iraqi PM hopes parliament cancels or reduces August recess

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Iraq's prime minister is hoping parliament will cancel its controversial August recess or reduce it to a couple of weeks.

The comment came in a statement from Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's office about a meeting al-Maliki had with U.S. officials, including U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker. The parliament -- which has yet to pass major legislation regarding issues such as energy resources and de-Baathification -- has been criticized by U.S. officials for taking the break while crucial work still needs to be done.

In mid-September, Crocker and the U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, are to issue a report addressing the status of the so-called U.S. military "surge."

The statement said al-Maliki remarked that some legislative efforts have been stalled because of a lack of a quorum in the 275-member body, but hopes parliament either cancels or reduces the break. (Posted 4:07 p.m.)

Tariq Aziz lawyer: Iraq is wrongly 'rushing' probe of his ailing client

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- A Jordanian lawyer for Tariq Aziz, the once-high-profile Saddam Hussein associate, told CNN on Saturday his client is in poor health and believes an Iraqi tribunal is being too aggressive in pursuing an investigation of the man.

"The Iraqi government is rushing the investigation with no respect to his health conditions," said lawyer Badie Arif, speaking from Amman. "This is a humanitarian issue."

Aziz, under U.S. military guard in Camp Cropper in Baghdad, fell ill earlier this week, was taken north to an American military hospital in Balad for treatment on Tuesday and is now back in the capital facility, according to Jaafar al-Musawi, Iraqi High Tribunal chief prosecutor,

He had been transferred to Balad amid a tribunal probe into his connection to the killings of religious figures during the Saddam era, allegations Arif calls specious. -- From CNN's Saad Abedine (Posted 2:25 p.m.)

17 slain bodies discovered in Iraqi capital

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- The bodies of 17 people were recovered across Baghdad on Saturday, Iraq's Interior Ministry said.

They are believed to be victims of Sunni-Shiite fighting, and the daily dumping of corpses in Baghdad is regarded as a sign of sectarian violence.

The number of slain bodies found in the capital this month stands at 428. -- From CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq (Posted 1:15 p.m.)

Rapture over Iraq soccer team victory inspires joy, unfolds in tragedy

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Violent jubilation over an Iraqi national soccer team victory on Saturday led to the deaths of two people and the wounding of 15 others, Iraq's Interior Ministry said.

Iraq defeated Vietnam 2-0 in the Asian Cup games, held at Rajamangala Stadium in Thailand.

Thousands of Iraqis poured on to the streets to celebrate and did so in a common but perilous fashion -- shooting their firearms in the air.

And as a result, people were shot in a barrage of bullets across the capital. -- From CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq (Posted 1:13 p.m.)

Firefighters battling 8-alarm Massachusetts mill fire

(CNN) -- Firefighters from about 30 different towns were battling an eight-alarm fire in a southern Massachusetts mill complex.

The blaze broke out about 4 a.m. in the Bernat Mill complex, said Melanie Blodgett-O'Toole, spokeswoman for the Uxbridge, Mass., police. The cause was unknown

The mill complex houses about 65 businesses, some of them small -- antique stores and art galleries -- and some of them larger, such as a gymnastics facility, she said. No one was inside the building at the time the fire began. (Posted 12:22 p.m.)

Fate of German hostages in Afghanistan unclear

(CNN) -- An Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman told CNN on Saturday that one of the Taliban-held German hostages died of a heart attack but the other remains alive.

This differs from an earlier Taliban account that both men had been executed. A Taliban spokesman told CNN the government is lying and that both men have been killed.

This is not the only kidnapping of non-Afghans in the war-torn country.

Militants kidnapped a busload of South Korean church volunteer workers on Thursday and a Taliban spokesman said the group's leadership council would decide later about their fate. -- From CNN's Atia Abawi and Sohn Jie-ae and Journalist Tom Coghlan (Posted 11:20 a.m.)

Bush reclaims presidential power after colonoscopy; 5 small polyps found

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- After two hours, President Bush on Saturday reclaimed his presidential power from Vice President Dick Cheney after undergoing a routine colonoscopy, a White House spokesman said.

Five polyps were found in the examination, spokesman Scott Stanzel said. All were small, he said, and "none appeared worrisome." Bush reclaimed presidential power about 10:30 a.m. (Posted 10:43 a.m.)

Afghan Foreign Ministry: One German hostage alive, other dead of heart attack

(CNN) -- An Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman told CNN on Saturday that one of the Taliban-held German hostages died of a heart attack but the other remains alive.

This differs from the comments of a Taliban spokesman, who said the group killed the two German hostages after the German government did not respond to demands to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan. -- From CNN's Atia Abawi and Sohn Jie-ae and Journalist Tom Coghlan (Posted 10:43 a.m.)

Iraq PM hopes parliament cancels or cuts in half its month-long recess

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Iraq's prime minister is hoping parliament will cancel its controversial August recess or reduce it for a couple of weeks.

The comment came in a statement from Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's office about a meeting al-Maliki had with U.S. officials, including U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker.

The parliament -- which has yet to pass major legislation regarding issues such as energy resources and de-Baathification -- has been criticized by U.S. officials for taking the break while important work still needs to be done.

The recess is to be held just before a major U.S. report is issued in mid-September from Crocker and U.S. Gen. David Petraeus. That report is expected to address the status of the so-called U.S. military "surge." (Posted 9:41 a.m.)

Bush transfers power to Cheney during colonoscopy

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush on Saturday transferred his presidential power temporarily to Vice President Cheney just before he underwent a routine colonoscopy.

The transfer occurred at 7:16 a.m., the White House announced.

It was expected to take about two and a half hours, the chief White House spokesman said on Friday. (Posted 8 a.m.)

U.S. airstrike overnight northeast of Baghdad targets gunmen; Interior Ministry says 18 dead, 21 wounded

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- U.S. warplanes late Friday struck three houses just northeast of Baghdad, killing 18 people and wounding 21 others, Iraq's Interior Ministry said on Saturday.

The U.S. military said the incident started when coalition forces "came under small arms fire from unknown gunmen operating from a structure" near Hussainiya.

Troops fired back and attack helicopters were deployed. The military said Iraqi police reported six insurgents killed and five others wounded. -- From CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq (Posted 7:28 a.m.)

Bombs kill 8, hurt 17 in Baghdad

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- A bomb hidden inside a minibus exploded in a Shiite neighborhood of eastern Baghdad Saturday morning, killing at least seven people and wounding 12 others, according to an Iraqi Interior Ministry official.

The blast -- at 11:45 a.m. -- happened in the Baladiyat district on the edge of Sadr City, the official said.

At least one person was killed and five wounded when a car bomb exploded outside an ice factory in Mahmoudiya, a town about 20 miles south of Baghdad, Saturday morning, the official said. -- From CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq (Posted 7:12 a.m.)

Troops arrested a few dozen people in raids on Saturday.

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Iraqi and coalition forces "detained 18 suspected terrorists" in a raid on Saturday "targeting al Qaeda in Iraq operatives near the Um al-Qura mosque in the Kadhimiya neighborhood in Baghdad," the U.S. military said.

Fourteen people were detained on Saturday "during operations targeting al Qaeda in Iraq networks" near Balad, Taji, and Falluja. (Posted 7:12 a.m.)

Taliban spokesman: 2 German hostages killed; fate of South Koreans to be decided Saturay

KABUL (CNN) -- A Taliban spokesman said the group has killed two Germans the group has been holding hostage after the German government did not respond to demands to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan.

The spokesman said the Taliban leadership council would decide later Saturday about the fate of at least 18 South Koreans also kidnapped Thursday.

The Taliban warned it would kill the Germans unless the German government promised to withdraw the more than 3,000 troops it has stationed in northern Afghanistan as part of NATO's International Security Assistance Force. -- From CNN's Atia Abawi and Sohn Jie-ae and Journalist Tom Coghlan (Posted 5:54 a.m.)

16 sectarian violence victims found

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- The bodies of 16 people, believed to be victims of sectarian violence, were recovered from the streets of Baghdad Friday, bringing to 411 the number of corpses found in the Iraqi capital during July, the official said. -- From CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq (Posted 4:18 a.m.)

Tons of explosives found in northern Iraq

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Iraqi Army soldiers discovered several tons of explosives and bomb-making materials inside a quarry in an isolated area west of Mosul Thursday, the U.S. military said.

A U.S. airstrike was called in to destroyed the explosives, some of which were hidden in the hulk of an abandoned bus, the military said. (Posted 3:59 a.m.)

Blast kills U.S. soldier in Diyala province

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- A U.S. soldiers, assigned to Task Force Lightning, died as a result of injuries suffered from an explosion near his vehicle while conducting operations in northern Iraq's Diyala province Friday, the U.S. military said.

The number of U.S. troops killed in July is 53 and the number of U.S. military killed in the war is 3,632. (Posted 2:29 a.m.) E-mail to a friend