The CNN Wire: Tuesday, July 24

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.

Clinton, Obama spar on sitting down with anti-U.S. leaders

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The question at Monday night's Democratic debate was straightforward: Should the next president of the United States sit down, without preconditions, with the leaders of Cuba, Iran, Syria, Venezuela and North Korea during his or her first year in office, in an effort to bridge the sharp divisions between those countries and the United States?

Sen. Barack Obama said yes. Hillary Clinton said no. And those responses set off a tempest Tuesday between their two campaigns that later escalated into some pointed comments from the candidates themselves in interviews with an Iowa newspaper.

"I thought it was irresponsible and, frankly, naive to say that he would commit to meeting with Chavez and Castro within the first year," Clinton told the Quad City Times, referring to the Venezuelan and Cuba leaders. "I think Senator Obama gave an answer that I believe he's regretting today."

But if Obama had regrets, they weren't evident in an interview he later gave the same newspaper, in which he called the episode "a nice fabricated controversy" and used some of his strongest language to date in criticizing Clinton's vote to authorize the invasion of Iraq.

"I do think it speaks to a larger point, which is if you want to talk about irresponsibility and naivete, look at her vote to authorize George Bush to send our troops into Iraq without an exit strategy and then asking the Pentagon what the plan is five years later," said Obama. (Posted 10:08 p.m.)

No recount in race for House seat in Georgia

(CNN) -- Former Georgia state Sen. Jim Whitehead announced Tuesday that he will not seek a recount in the race for the state's 10th Congressional District, clearing the way for Paul Broun to claim the House seat that's been vacant since Rep. Charlie Norwood's death from cancer in February.

Broun, 60, a doctor from Athens, defeated Whitehead by just 394 votes in a runoff last week, according to results certified Monday by Secretary of State Karen Handel. Both candidates are Republicans, as was Norwood.

Because Whitehead's margin of defeat was less than 1 percent, he could have asked for a recount under Georgia law. But in a statement released Tuesday, he said dragging out the election for a recount "is unjustifiable in light of the time we have gone without a vote in Congress." (Posted 9:47 p.m.)

Colorado fires professor who compared 9/11 victims to Nazis

(CNN) -- The University of Colorado's Board of Regents on Tuesday fired a professor who compared some victims of the al Qaeda attack on the World Trade Center to Nazis, citing "deliberate and repeated research misconduct."

Ward Churchill raised hackles with a 2002 essay that argued the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks were a justified reaction to U.S. policies in the Middle East, and praised the hijackers who killed nearly 3,000 people in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania had "the courage of their convictions."

But the regents said Churchill's firing was unrelated to the essay, which went largely unnoticed for three years. Instead, it backed the report of a university investigation that found "serious, repeated, and deliberate" cases of plagiarism and falsification in previous papers -- allegations that surfaced after Churchill's essay became widely known. (Posted 9:13 p.m.)

Gonzales gives different account of Ashcroft hospital visit

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on Tuesday disputed testimony from his one-time deputy over a late-night visit in 2004 to then-Attorney General John Ashcroft's hospital room, where Ashcroft was recovering from emergency gall-bladder surgery.

Former Deputy Attorney General James Comey testified in May that officials wanted Ashcroft to reverse a Justice Department opinion that a warrantless wiretapping program was illegal. He said Gonzales, then White House counsel, and former White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card went to the hospital where Ashcroft was in intensive care to get him to sign off on the program, which the administration supported.

Ashcroft had turned his authority over to Comey while he was ill.

Testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Gonzales said that Ashcroft had authorized the program for at least two years. He also disputed Comey's testimony that the program in question was the terrorist surveillance program (TSP) announced by President Bush in December. (Posted 9:09 p.m.)

TSA: Suspicious airport incidents could be attack 'dry runs'

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Following a series of suspicious incidents at U.S. airports, the Transportation Security Administration has advised police nationwide to be on the lookout for similar incidents, saying they could be "dry runs" for a terrorist attack.

The unclassified advisory, sent July 20 to law enforcement agencies by the TSA, raised the possibility that the suspicious activity could be "pre-attack security probes." CNN obtained the advisory from a government source.

But in a statement to the media following the leak of the advisory, the TSA downplayed its significance, saying it was one of 90-plus bulletins sent to police in the past six months "with the intent to provide as much information as possible to our front line officers."

The TSA advisory details four incidents in the past 11 months in which screeners discovered unusual objects in passengers' checked or carry-on luggage -- with items that could mimic bomb components.

-- From CNN's Mike M. Ahlers (Posted 9:05 p.m.)

Judge acquits former police officer in videotaped beating

NEW ORLEANS (CNN) -- A former New Orleans police officer was acquitted Tuesday in connection with the videotaped beating of an unarmed man on Bourbon Street in October 2005.

Robert Evangelist, 37, was charged with false imprisonment while armed with a dangerous weapon and second-degree battery. A judge, who presided over Evangelist's trial instead of a jury, found him innocent Tuesday, said Dalton Savwoir, spokesman for Orleans Parish District Attorney Eddie Jordan.

The beating of Robert Davis attracted international attention after it was captured on videotape by The Associated Press and the aftermath recorded by a CNN photojournalist. The images were broadcast worldwide and added to the woes of the New Orleans Police Department in the months following Hurricane Katrina's devastation in the city.

Another officer, Lance Schilling, was also charged with second-degree battery in the incident. Evangelist and Schilling were both fired after the beating. Schilling committed suicide in June. (Posted 9:03 p.m.)

6 men convicted in foiled weapons trafficking plot

NEW YORK (CNN) -- A New York jury Tuesday found three men guilty of plotting to smuggle high-powered military weapons into the United States, including rocket-propelled grenades and anti-tank guided missiles, according the the U.S. Attorney's office in New York.

Artur Solomonyan, Christiaan Dewet Spies and Loseb Kharabadze and three other men were also convicted of illegally trafficking machine guns and assault weapons. The other men were identified as Dmitriy Vorobeychik, Nikolai Nadirash and Levan Chvelidze.

From 2003 to 2005 Solomonyan, Dewet and Kharabadze met several times with a confidential informant posing as an arms dealer in New York City, providing the informant with in depth reviews, pricing information and digital photographs of Armenian military weapons that they proposed to smuggle into the United States.

The men were arrested before they were able to begin transporting the weapons, although they sold one machine gun and seven other weapons to the informant with the help of associates Vorobeychik, Nadirash and Chvelidze.

-- From CNN's David Miller (Posted 7:45 p.m.)

San Francisco power outages leave thousands in the dark

SAN FRANCISCO (CNN) -- Large areas of downtown San Francisco and its environs are experiencing ongoing intermittent power outages affecting up to 51,000 customers, Pacific Gas and Electric spokeswoman Darlene Chiu said Tuesday.

PG&E said that it has crews deployed throughout San Francisco, and it is currently trying to reroute power throughout the city. As of 4:30 p.m. (7:30 ET), power had been restored to approximately 30,000 customers, leaving about 21,000 still out.

The utility said the cause of the outages is under investigation and is currently unknown.

PG&E also said that they have no estimated time for restoration of city-wide power service. (Posted 7:43 p.m.)

2 men charged with terrorizing family; mother, 2 daughters killed

CHESHIRE, Conn. (CNN) -- Two men appeared in court Tuesday on charges connected to a horrific home invasion in suburban Connecticut that left three family members -- a mother and her two daughters -- dead inside the burning home, authorities said.

Steven Hays, 44, and Joshua Komisarjevsky, 26, were apprehended at the scene and face dozens of charges, including aggravated sexual assault, burglary and arson. Pending the autopsy results, more charges are expected to be filed, police said.

Each was being held on $15 million bond. Neither entered a plea during their arraignment at Meridien Superior Court.

The incident began about 3 a.m. Monday, when police said the two forced their way into the home of prominent doctor William Petit Jr. and his family -- wife Jennifer, a nurse, and daughters Hayley, 17, and Michaela, 11. (Posted 7:08 p.m.)

Civil case filed against NYPD over man shot to death on wedding day

NEW YORK (CNN) -- A civil case has been filed against the New York Police Department by a Brooklyn woman whose fiance was fatally shot more than 50 times by police officers on the day they were to be married.

Sean Bell was killed last November when five police officers opened fire on him and two friends outside a strip club in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, where he was attending his bachelor party.

A criminal case is under way in Queens Supreme Court against three of the five officers. The civil suit accuses all five officers, as well as the NYPD, of negligence, recklessness and civil rights violations. --From CNN's Sarah B. Boxer (Posted 6:16 p.m.)

Falcons prepared to suspend Vick over dogfighting charges, owner says

ATLANTA (CNN) -- The Atlanta Falcons were ready to suspend star quarterback Michael Vick after his indictment on federal dogfighting charges, but withheld any action while the National Football League investigates the allegations, the team's owner said Tuesday.

The Falcons had settled on a four-week suspension, the maximum term, "and had gone so far as to draft the suspension letter," team owner Arthur Blank said.

But NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stepped in Monday, asking the Falcons to wait and ordering Vick to stay away from the Falcons training camp until the league finishes its review of the indictment. (Posted 5:55 p.m.)

Doctor cleared in Katrina deaths: 'Remember the magnitude of human suffering'

NEW ORLEANS (CNN) -- A doctor -- cleared by a grand jury Tuesday of criminal charges in the deaths of four patients at a New Orleans hospital in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina -- tearfully thanked her supporters, but urged people to remember those who died in the storm and make sure such a situation never again occurs.

"Today's events are not a triumph, but a moment of remembrance to those who lost their lives during the storm, and a tribute to all of those who stayed at their posts and served people most in need," Dr. Anna Pou (prono: POE) told reporters.

"All of us need to remember the magnitude of human suffering that occurred in the city of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina so that we can assure that this never happens again, and that no health care professional should ever be falsely accused in a rush to judgment."

An Orleans Parish grand jury on Tuesday decided not to pursue criminal charges against Pou. (Posted 4:49 p.m.)

Former senator to take leading role in Fred Thompson campaign

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Former GOP Sen. Spencer Abraham -- who served as Energy Secretary from 2001 to 2005 -- will come aboard in a leading role on the team of possible Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson, his campaign said Tuesday.

Veteran Florida Republican strategist Randy Enright is also joining the team, the campaign said.

A top adviser to possible Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson has submitted his resignation, Republican sources told CNN Tuesday.

Tom Collamore joined the nascent Thompson effort after being recruited away from his post at Altria, the parent company of such brands as Kraft Foods and Philip Morris.

A campaign spokeswoman said Collamore would remain as a senior adviser. -- From CNN's John King (Posted 4:21 p.m.)

Top Fred Thompson adviser resigns

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A top adviser to possible Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson submitted his resignation, Republican sources told CNN.

Tom Collamore joined the nascent Thompson effort after being recruited away from his post at Altria, the parent company of such brands as Kraft Foods and Philip Morris.

He is a GOP campaign veteran who was tasked with assembling a Thompson campaign operation. His experience dating back to the Reagan-Bush years was touted by Thompson allies as a sign the former senator was serious about joining the race and building a top flight organization.

Efforts to reach Collamore were not immediately successful. But two GOP sources familiar with his decision told CNN that Collamore grew frustrated with the operation. One said he was not in sync with Thompson's wife, Jeri.

"She is running the operation," said a senior GOP source who is close to Collamore. (Posted 3:47 p.m.)

Bush lays out intelligence linking al Qaeda in Iraq with central al Qaeda terror group

CHARLESTON, S.C. (CNN) -- Responding to critics who say that al Qaeda in Iraq is not the same group that attacked the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, President Bush on Tuesday shared intelligence information he said links the group in Iraq with the central al Qaeda organization.

Charges that al Qaeda in Iraq did not exist until the U.S. "invasion of Iraq and that it's a problem of our own making" are part of the "flawed logic that terror is caused by American actions," Bush said.

"Al Qaeda in Iraq is run by foreign leaders loyal to Osama bin Laden," Bush said. "Like bin Laden, they are cold-blooded killers who murder the innocent to achieve al Qaeda's political objectives.

Critics of the war in Iraq have complained about the Bush administration's insistence that Iraq is the central front in the war on terrorism, saying the war has been a recruiting tool for terrorists. They point out the 9/11 commission found there was no al Qaeda presence in Iraq before the U.S. invasion. (Posted 2:45 p.m.)

Gonzales gives different account of Ashcroft hospital visit

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Attorney General Alberto Gonzales disputed testimony Tuesday from his one-time deputy, who said Gonzales and another White House official tried to pressure then-Attorney General John Ashcroft, when he was hospitalized in 2004, to reauthorize a surveillance program against terror suspects.

Former Deputy Attorney General James Comey testified in May that officials wanted Ashcroft to reverse a Justice Department opinion that the warrantless wiretapping program was illegal. He said Gonzales, then-White House counsel, and former White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card went to the hospital where Ashcroft was in intensive care to get him to sign off on the program, which the administration supported.

Ashcroft had turned his authority over to Comey while he was ill, and Comey said when he heard that Gonzales and Card were going to the hospital, he rushed over there.

Gonzales testified Tuesday that Ashcroft had been backing the program for at least two years, likely from its inception, and there was no disagreement over it.

"The disagreement that occurred, and the reason for the visit to the hospital, senator, was about other intelligence activities. It was not about the terrorist surveillance program that the president announced to the American people," Gonzales told Sen. Arlen Specter, ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

"Mr. Attorney General, do you expect us to believe that?" Specter asked impatiently. (Posted 2:27 p.m.)

NBA referee accused of betting on games may accept plea

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy may accept a plea related to allegations that he was involved in betting on games, perhaps including some that he officiated, league commissioner David Stern told reporters Tuesday.

"His lawyer informed us that he's contemplating a plea on that subject," Stern said during a news conference in which he described the allegation as "the most serious and worst situation that I have ever experienced, either as a fan for the NBA, a lawyer for the NBA or a commissioner for the NBA."

Stern said he was first made aware of the accusation on June 20, when he got a call from the FBI asking to meet with him regarding a referee alleged to have been gambling on games during the prior two years.

"It is my understanding that, amongst the allegations are that he bet on games in which he officiated, and possibly in which he did not officiate, and that he gave information to others for the purpose of allowing them to place bets on games he was officiating and he was not officiating." (Posted 2 p.m.)

S.C. official, former state chair for Giuliani, steps down as he faces cocaine charges

(CNN) -- Saying he was "deeply sorry" to his family and the state, South Carolina Treasurer Thomas Ravenel resigned from office Tuesday, the day he faces cocaine charges in court.

The former state chairman for Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani was indicted June 19 on a federal charge of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. He resigned the position with Giuliani last month.

Leaving the federal courthouse in Columbia after a court appearance, Ravenel said, "I'm deeply disappointed in myself for the circumstances surrounding my presence here today to due to the personal mistakes I've made in my life. I want to offer a heartfelt apology to South Carolina. To the people of South Carolina and to my family, I am deeply sorry." (Posted 1:34 p.m.)

Grand jury decides not to charge doctor at center of Katrina hospital deaths investigation

NEW ORLEANS (CNN) -- A grand jury Tuesday decided not to pursue criminal charges against Dr. Anna Pou, who was at the center of an investigation into the post-Katrina deaths of four patients at a New Orleans hospital, a spokesman for the Orleans Parish district attorney told CNN.

Pou and two nurses -- Cheri Landry and Lori Budo -- were arrested in July of last year after a 10-month investigation into the deaths at New Orleans' Memorial Medical Center. Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti charged the trio with second-degree murder. Charges against the nurses were recently dropped in exchange for their testimony.

The investigation revealed that the four patients -- ages 63, 68, 91 and 93 -- were given a "lethal cocktail" of morphine and midazolam hydrochloride, both central nervous system depressants, Foti said. None of the patients had been prescribed the drugs by their caregivers and none of the accused treated the four before the injections, Foti said.

Pou, Landry and Budo have denied the charges, and their attorneys have said they acted heroically, staying to treat patients rather than evacuate. (Posted 12:47 p.m.)

Two men charged with terrorizing family; mother, 2 daughters killed

(CNN) -- Two men were formally charged Tuesday with breaking into a suburban Connecticut home early Monday and terrorizing a family of four -- killing the mother and her two daughters and setting the house on fire, according to CNN affiliate WTNH and a police news release.

Autopsies are still being conducted to determine whether the three were killed before, or as a result of, the fire. The father was assaulted and sustained serious head injuries, police said.

Steven Hays, 44, and Joshua Komisarjevsky, 26, were apprehended at the scene and face dozens of charges, including aggravated sexual assault, burglary and arson. Pending the autopsy results, more charges are expected to be filed, police said.

Each is being held on $15 million bond. They were arraigned Tuesday morning at Meriden Superior Court. During the court session it was revealed that the two men have extensive criminal records and are on parole, WTNH reported. (Posted 12:18 p.m.)

Senate panel asks Gonzales to clarify conflicts in testimony

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Senate Judiciary Committee opened a hearing Tuesday into what it considers are conflicts in testimony from Attorney General Alberto Gonzales over the firings of at least eight U.S. attorneys last year and other issues.

"Evidence points to Karl Rove and the political operatives at the White House" being involved in a cover-up of the details, committee Chairman Pat Leahy, D-Vt., said in his opening statement.

"The question is whether the Department of Justice is functioning -- as it must -- to protect the vital interests of the American people," Sen. Arlen Specter, the ranking Republican on the committee, told Gonzales in his opening statements.

The firings, allegedly for political reasons, have placed "a very heavy cloud" over the agency, Specter said. (Posted 10:03 a.m.)

Crocker: Iranian-backed violence in Iraq has risen since last meeting

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Calling the latest discussions between the U.S. and Iranian delegations in Baghdad "full and frank," U.S. ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker said Tuesday he expressed his concerns that militia-related activity fueled by Iranian support has escalated since the two sides first met in May.

"I was as clear as I could be with the Iranians," Crocker told reporters in a briefing that followed the second ambassadorial-level meeting between the two sides in Iraq. "The results on the ground are not encouraging."

U.S. officials have accused Iran of interfering in the U.S.-led war in Iraq by supplying Shiite Muslim militias with weaponry and training, and fueling the sectarian warfare that U.S. and Iraqi troops are trying to tamp down.

Crocker also said the officials discussed the "formation of a security sub-committee" at an expert or technical level that would address issues relating to extremist militias, border security, and al Qaeda. He said the Iranians seemed willing to deal with the issues of militias in this setting. (Posted 10:01 a.m.)

Lindsay Lohan arrested for DUI, 2nd time since May

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- Five days after being booked in connection with a May drunken driving charge, actress Lindsay Lohan was arrested early Tuesday morning on five charges -- including drunken driving and possession of a controlled substance, Santa Monica police told CNN.

Police spokeswoman Calisse Lindsey said police got a call at 1:34 a.m. PT that a vehicle was chasing another vehicle in a parking lot in Santa Monica. When officers arrived, they found Lohan driving the vehicle that was chasing the other, the spokeswoman said. The officers smelled alcohol and administered a field sobriety test, which Lohan failed, Lindsey said.

When taken to the police station, the 21-year-old actress registered .12 and .13 in blood tests for alcohol levels, the spokeswoman said. In California, the legal limit is .08, according to the state's Department of Motor Vehicles. Officers also found a white powdery substance in Lohan's possession which was determined to be cocaine, Lindsey said.

The actress, whose film "I Know Who Killed Me" releases Friday, was charged with two counts of driving under the influence, possession of cocaine, bringing a controlled substance into a jail facility, and driving on a suspended license, according to Lindsey.

As of Tuesday morning, she was still in the Santa Monica jail, waiting for her $25,000 bail to be paid, she said. --From CNN Radio Correspondent Jim Roope(Posted 9:43 a.m.)

Crisis averted at major power plant still threatened by UK floods

TEWKESBURY, England (CNN) -- A major electricity substation serving a half million homes in western England and threatened by rising water has passed the crisis stage thanks to a "superhuman effort" overnight, Gloucestershire Chief Constable Timothy Brain said Tuesday.

"The crisis may have passed last night, the ongoing emergency is not over," Brain said at a news conference in Gloucester. "The water is still high surrounding Walham (substation). There is still the prospect of further high peaks later today about the same time as yesterday at midnight."

About 1,000 Royal Navy personnel constructed an emergency flood defense barrier to prevent the flooding of the Walham substation on the outskirts of Gloucester. (Posted 8:37 a.m.)

Taliban spokesman thinks S. Korean hostage crisis 'will be solved peacefully'

KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A Taliban spokesman says the group's talks with South Korea over the fate of kidnapped South Korean volunteer aid workers in Afghanistan are progressing well and thinks "the situation will be solved peacefully."

The kidnappers have threatened to kill the 23 South Koreans, most of whom are women, if their demands are not met. They want Afghanistan to release a group of prisoners and South Korea to withdraw its 200 non-combat forces from Afghanistan, which Seoul already plans to do by the end of the year.

"Negotiation is going well between the Taliban and the Korean government, but not the Afghan government," Taliban spokesman Qari Mohammad Yousif Ahmadi said.

"We're optimistic that the situation will be solved peacefully. We hope it will be finished before 7 p.m. If not, we might give them more time." (Posted 8:36 a.m.)

Suicide car bomber kills at least 22 in Hilla; roadside bomb kills 1; 24 bodies found

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- A suicide car bomb exploded in a busy commercial area of Hilla Tuesday morning, killing at least 22 people and wounding 60, police said. The attack took place near a children's hospital around 9 a.m. (1 a.m. ET).

Hilla is a Shiite city located about 60 miles (100 km) south of Baghdad.

In southeastern Baghdad, one person was killed and three were wounded, including two police officers, when a roadside bomb exploded near their patrol in the Zayouna district, an Iraqi Interior Ministry official said.

Also on Tuesday, the ministry announced that the bodies of 24 people had been recovered across the capital a day earlier. They are believed to be the victims of sectarian violence between Sunni and Shiite Muslims. For July, the total stands at 468.

The U.S. military said that "coalition forces detained 20 suspected terrorists during raids Tuesday targeting al Qaeda in Iraq." The operations occurred north of Baghdad. (Posted 8:34 a.m.)

Spain nabs suspected double agent who sold names, secrets to Russia

MADRID (CNN) -- Spain's spy agency chief said Tuesday that Spain has arrested a suspected double agent who revealed the names of Spanish spies and other state secrets to Russia.

The suspect, Robert Flores Garcia, was arrested Monday morning at his home on Tenerife Island in Spain's Canary Islands. He passed secrets to Russia, in exchange for hefty payments, from 2001 to 2004, said the spy chief, Alberto Saiz, head of the National Intelligence Agency (known by its Spanish initials CNI).

Flores had been a suspect under surveillance by Spanish intelligence since July 2005, said Saiz. He spoke at a rare news conference in Madrid, which some Spanish media said was the first ever offered by Spain's intelligence chief.

He said Spain's national security was never at risk but that the alleged revelations of the suspected double agent forced Spain to substitute a number of its spies. (Posted 7:57 a.m.)

Mine attack on military vehicle kills at least 10 soldiers

COLOMBO (CNN) -- At least 10 Sri Lankan soldiers were killed and five were in critical condition Tuesday after Tamil Tiger rebels detonated a Claymore mine near the seaboard town of Mannar as a military bus passed, a police official said. Four civilians also received minor injuries.

The area has seen a series of gun battles between Sri Lankan security forces and Tamil Tiger rebels in recent weeks. In the past week, at least seven soldiers and four home guards were killed in rebel attacks in the same area.

The Tamil Tigers have been fighting since 1983 for a separate homeland for the Tamil minority in the north and east, citing decades of discrimination by the majority Sinhalese. The government has vowed to dislodge the rebels from their eastern stronghold.

About 65,000 people were killed before a 2002 cease-fire, which has become frayed by recent fighting between Tamil Tigers and the military. --From Journalist Iqbal Athas (Posted 6 a.m.)

Nurses, doctor arrive in Bulgaria after release by Libya; president issues pardon

(CNN) -- Five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor convicted of infecting hundreds of Libyan children with the HIV virus arrived in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia Tuesday, following their release after serving eight years in jail on the charges.

A short time after their arrival at the airport, Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov signed a decree pardoning them.

The round of negotiations that freed the medics began over the weekend and involved European Union commissioner for foreign affairs, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, chief French presidential aide Claude Gueant and French first lady Cecilia Sarkozy.

The nurses and doctor were flown to Bulgaria on a French presidential plane.

The nurses and doctor, who were twice sentenced to death for allegedly infecting more than 400 Libyan children with the virus that causes AIDS, had their sentences commuted to life in prison last week, following a $1 million per family payout to each of the families of the 460 HIV victims. (Posted 5:40 a.m.)

Pro-Taliban militant killed in Pakistan

LAHORE, Pakistan (CNN) -- Pakistani security forces killed a pro-Taliban militant leader in an early morning raid near the Afghan border, a Pakistani Interior Ministry official said.

According to the official, Abdullahah Mehsud blew himself up after Pakistani forces surrounded him in a house in the Baluchistan province city of Zhob. Three other militants were arrested during the same raid.

Mehsud was held by the U.S. military at the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, but was released in 2004. Later that same year, he was involved in the kidnapping of two Chinese engineers working in South Waziristan, also along the Afghan border. -- From CNN's Syed Mohsin Naqvi (Posted 4:50 a.m.)

AHA study: soft drink drinkers at greater risk of developing risk factors for heart disease

(CNN) -- A new study in the American Heart Association journal Circulation found that people who drink one or more soft drinks a day have a more than 50 percent higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome than people who drink less than one soda a day. And it didn't matter if it was a regular soda or a diet soda.

Metabolic syndrome is a constellation of health problems -- high waist circumference, high blood pressure, low levels of "good" cholesterol," and other health problems -- that have been strongly linked to developing heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

The study looked at more than 6,000 healthy people, who showed no signs of metabolic syndrome, and then followed up. After four years, 53 percent of people who drank an average of one or more soft drinks per day developed metabolic syndrome. Those who drank one or more diet soft drinks a day were at a 44 percent higher risk.

"The point is that the risk is high no matter how many soft drinks one consumes and no matter what type of soft drink one consumes," said Dr. Ramachandran S. Vasan, Associate Professor of Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine and one of the study authors. "This adds to what we already know about how soft drinks may be associated with weight gain and metabolic risk."

The American Beverage Association (ABA) took issue with the study, saying that the study proves no link between soft drinks and increased risk of heart disease.

The ABA added, "The assertions made could apply to any caloric product -- if you over consume any food or beverage with calories, there are health consequences." ABA also said that it is "scientifically implausible" that diet soft drinks, which have no calories, cause weight gain or elevated blood pressure.(Posted 1:50 a.m.)

Bush to defend focus on Iraq in S.C. speech Tuesday

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush plans to reveal "newly declassified information" about the links between al Qaeda and al Qaeda in Iraq during a speech Tuesday at Charleston Air Force Base in South Carolina, a White House official said Monday.

The speech comes a week after a National Intelligence Estimate named al Qaeda "the most serious terrorist threat" to the U.S. homeland and said that al Qaeda in Iraq was the main group's "most visible and capable affiliate."

Bush's South Carolina speech is set for the day after Democrats vying to succeed him held a debate in Charleston. The war in Iraq was a major element of that debate, with the administration's management of the war coming in for blistering criticism from the eight contenders on stage at The Citadel, the state's famous military college.

Critics of the war in Iraq have complained about the administration's insistence that Iraq is the central front in the war on terrorism, saying the war has been a recruiting tool for terrorists. They say that the administration has dropped the ball in Afghanistan, where a resurgent Taliban is fighting to regain control, and Pakistan, where both the Taliban and al Qaeda have based their efforts to regroup. (Posted 10:03 p.m.) E-mail to a friend