The CNN Wire: Tuesday Aug 28

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.

Six Iranians released from U.S. military custody in Iraq

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- The U.S. Military on Wednesday released six Iranians, who were working for Tehran's power ministry, a day after American soldiers detained the delegation in Baghdad, Yassin Majid, an aide to Iraq's prime minister, told CNN.

Iran's ambassador in Baghdad, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, said U.S. military forces escorted the Iranians to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's office after their release at 7 a.m. (11 p.m. ET, Tuesday), Iran's official news agency (IRNA) reported Wednesday.

The U.S. military was not immediately available for comment.

Their release came a day after IRNA reported that U.S. soldiers arrested members of an Iranian government delegation at a hotel in eastern Baghdad and took them to an unidentified location.

According to Majid, the delegation was in the capital at the invitation of Iraqi government officials to sign an electricity supply contract. (Posted 2:50 a.m.)

Six Iranians released from U.S. military custody in Iraq

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- The U.S. Military on Wednesday released six Iranians, who are working for Tehran's power ministry, a day after American soldiers detained the delegation in Baghdad, Yassin Majid, an aide to Iraq's prime minister, told CNN.

The U.S. military was not immediately available for comment.

Their release came a day after Iran's official news agency (IRNA) reported that U.S. soldiers arrested members of an Iranian government delegation at a hotel in eastern Baghdad and took them to an unidentified location.

According to Majid, the delegation was in the capital at the invitation of Iraqi government officials to sign an electricity supply contract. (Posted 2:30 a.m.)

Beaches closed after apparent shark attack

MONTEREY, Calif. (CNN) -- Three beaches were closed Tuesday after a shark apparently attacked a surfer at a California state park, officials said.

The victim was identified as a 24-year-old surfer by Loren Rex, a spokesman for the Marina State Beach. Officials at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center said he was in stable condition after suffering lacerations to the torso and thigh. He was airlifted by helicopter to the hospital emergency room earlier in the day.

Rex said the surfer is a resident of the area who has been surfing local beaches for about five years.

Initial reports said the shark was a 20-foot Great White, Rex said. Shark experts were en route to the beach Tuesday afternoon and will examine evidence including damage to the victim's surfboard to make a determination, he said. (Posted 10:45 p.m.)

Karbala calm, 'tense' after fighting

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- The Shiite holy city of Karbala was quiet but tense early Wednesday after clashes between Shiite militias left at least 50 dead and hundreds wounded, Iraq's national security adviser told CNN.

Mowaffaq al-Rubaie said the Iraqi Army has taken control of the situation.

The clashes began Monday night in Karbala, where hundreds of thousands of pilgrims were attending a Shiite religious festival, and spread to Baghdad on Tuesday. Iraqi Interior Ministry officials said 50 people were killed in Karbala and five in Baghdad, where Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's followers set offices of the Supreme Islamic Council of Iraq ablaze in several neighborhoods in and near the capital.

Al-Rubaie said the pilgrimage was suspended, as tens of thousands of pilgrims were evacuated in cars and buses and are returning home. He said it was difficult to assess how many fighters were still in the town. He described the fighters as "rogue elements from many different militia groups." (Posted 10:08 p.m.)

FAA: Inspections turn up two 737s with problems

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Federal Aviation Administration is ordering airlines to speed up inspections of Boeing 737 airplanes after initial inspections turned up two planes with problems, the agency said Tuesday.

Initial inspections of the 737's slats -- a part of the wings -- turned up faulty bolts on two planes, the FAA said.

In response, the agency issued a new airworthiness directive specifying the inspections must be completed within 10 days. The initial directive issued Saturday gave airlines 24 days to complete the inspections, citing a mechanical issue discovered after the recent China Airlines fire in Japan.

At issue are slats on some 783 Boeing 737s in the U.S. fleet, as well as 2,283 planes flown by other nations. The FAA could not say how many inspections had been completed by Tuesday.

The FAA said the initial directive was issued after the China Airlines incident and another incident involving the wing slats of a 737. (Posted 10:05 p.m.)

U.S. soldiers detain Iranians in Baghdad

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- U.S. soldiers detained members of an Iranian delegation Tuesday in Baghdad, according to Iran's official news agency and the U.S. military, but details of the incident conflicted.

Iran's IRNA news agency reported that soldiers arrested members of an Iranian government delegation at a hotel in eastern Baghdad and took them to an unidentified location.

The Iranians, who work for Tehran's power ministry, were in the capital at the invitation of Iraqi government officials to sign an electricity supply contract, the news agency said.

The U.S. military, however, said it detained some "Iranian citizens with Iranian passports" and their Iraqi escorts, who carried Iraqi Department of Energy badges, at a checkpoint in the Abu Nuwas market in eastern Baghdad's Rusafa district.

The Iranians and Iraqis were detained when "a group of individuals in several vehicles" stopped at the checkpoint, and "several occupants were observed to have weapons," the military said. Soldiers searched the vehicles and confiscated the weapons because the Iraqis did not have government-issued cards permitting them to carry weapons, the U.S. military statement said.

When asked about the discrepancy regarding the location of the detention, the military said it had no clarification. Video from Associated Press Television showed U.S. soldiers escorting 10 people -- their hands bound in front of them and their eyes blindfolded -- from the hotel and into military vehicles and driving off. (Posted 9:52 p.m.)

FBI still seeking two men seen acting oddly on Washington state ferries

SEATTLE (CNN) -- The FBI in Seattle is still trying to identify two men sought for questioning after they were reported to be behaving unusually while riding Washington state ferries earlier this summer, despite appealing to the public for help more than a week ago and issuing photos of the men.

The pictures have appeared in various media outlets and prompted nearly 200 tips. None of them, however, have led investigators to the men. The FBI wants to question them to determine whether their behavior was harmless or whether they were surveilling the ferries and ferry terminals for nefarious purposes.

In an interview with CNN, FBI Special Agent Larry Carr said members of the public and ferry workers reported the men to authorities because of their actions. Carr said the two were seen pacing off areas of the boat including a cargo hold as if trying to measure distances, taking photographs of the ferries -- including restricted areas -- and studying an emergency evacuation poster.

The men first attracted attention about two months ago and were seen on multiple ferries and ferry routes. A ferry worker snapped photos of the men using a cell phone camera and supplied the stills to law enforcement. The photos were shown to police and ferry workers, but no one could identify the men, so authorities decided to call on the public for help. There have been no reported sightings of the mysterious duo for a number of weeks.

-- From CNN's Ted Rowlands and Paul Vercammen (Posted 8:55 p.m.)

Bush arrives in New Orleans to mark 2nd anniversary of Katrina

NEW ORLEANS (CNN) -- President Bush arrived in New Orleans Tuesday night to mark the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, his 15th visit to the Gulf Coast since the deadly storm.

Air Force One touched one at Louis Armstrong International Airport in Kenner, which served as a staging area for medical teams in the days following the storm. First Lady Laura Bush arrived on a smaller Air Force jet a few minutes before the president.

Bush warmly greeted Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin after disembarking from the plane, with smiles and pats on the back -- a stark contrast to often-bitter political disagreements between their administrations in Katrina's wake.

Bush then greeted Lt. Gen. Russell Honore, who won praise for his role commanding military relief efforts after several days of complaints over government inaction following the storm. The president saluted Honore and then shook his hand.

-- From CNN's Steve Brusk (Posted 8:41 p.m.)

Stricken S.D. senator: 'I am back'

(CNN) -- South Dakota U.S. Sen. Tim Johnson said Tuesday he is ready to resume his duties next week, more than eight months after a suffering cerebral hemorrhage.

Johnson, 60, began slurring his speech during a conference call with reporters in December. He was taken to George Washington University Hospital, where he underwent surgery to stop an intracerebral hemorrhage caused by a hereditary condition in which blood vessels are too close together -- called an arteriovenous malformation.

During his recovery, Johnson has been replaced by Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., as chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee.

His health had caused anxiety among Democrats in the Senate, where they hold a 51-49 majority. Had Johnson stepped down, his successor would have been named by South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds, a Republican. (Posted 8:15 p.m.)

Craig could face ethics investigation over restroom arrest

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. Larry Craig's own party leaders called Tuesday for the Senate Ethics Committee to look into his June arrest in a Minneapolis airport men's room and subsequent guilty plea to a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge.

A Senate Republican leadership aide told CNN that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell informed Craig about the GOP leadership's decision to call for an ethics investigation Tuesday, shortly before the Idaho Republican held a press conference in his home state where he insisted he did nothing wrong and said several times that he was not gay.

It will be up to the ethics committee -- which consists of three Democrats and three Republicans -- to decide whether to launch a full investigation. However, the panel's rules require that it look into a matter and determine whether an investigation is appropriate once a formal complaint is lodged.

Earlier Tuesday, before the Republican leaders acted, the ethics committee's chairwoman, Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., declined to comment on the possibility of an investigation, although her office noted that the committee's work is generally confidential. (Posted 8:12 p.m.)

Report: No evidence astronauts flew drunk

(CNN) -- An internal NASA review -- conducted after an agency panel reported anecdotal evidence of intoxicated astronauts flying aircraft and spacecraft -- found no evidence of such an occurrence, NASA sources told CNN Tuesday.

The internal review report, conducted by NASA's Office of Safety and Mission Assurance, is to be released Wednesday.

The review was prompted in July when the NASA Astronaut Health Care System Review Committee reported two alleged cases in which astronauts were so intoxicated that flight surgeons or fellow astronauts raised concerns over flight safety. The astronauts in question were still allowed to fly, the panel said.

The committee was convened to look into NASA's medical and psychological screening process after the February arrest of former astronaut Lisa Nowak for the alleged attempted kidnapping of another astronaut's love interest. (Posted 8:10 p.m.)

Craig says he isn't gay and did nothing wrong

BOISE, Idaho (CNN) -- With his wife of 24 years standing by his side, Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, flatly denied Tuesday that he is gay and said he made a "bad decision" by pleading guilty to disorderly conduct charges after his June arrest in a Minneapolis airport men's room during an undercover police sting targeting lewd behavior.

"I did nothing wrong, and I regret my decision to plead guilty and the sadness that decision has brought on my wife, family, friends, staff and fellow Idahoans," Craig said at a news conference, where he read a prepared statement and took no questions. "I am not gay. I never have been gay."

Shortly before the senator took the podium in Boise, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., informed Craig that the leaders of his own party were calling for an ethics investigation into what they termed a "serious matter," a Senate Republican leadership aide told CNN.

In his news conference, Craig blamed what he called a "witch hunt" by the Idaho Statesman newspaper -- which has been investigating rumors about Craig's sexuality for months -- for his decision to plead guilty without consulting an attorney or any of his family or friends. He said chose to plead guilty "in hopes of making it go away." (Posted 7 p.m.)

IRNA: U.S. soldiers arrest Iranians in Baghdad

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- U.S. soldiers arrested members of an Iranian government delegation Tuesday at a hotel in Baghad and took them to an unidentified location, Iran's official IRNA news agency reported.

The Iranians, who work for Tehran's power ministry, were in the capital at the invitation of Iraqi government officials to sign an electricity supply contract, the news agency said.

The number of people arrested was not immediately clear, though Associated Press Television showed U.S. soldiers escorting 10 people -- their hands bound in front of them and their eyes blindfolded -- from the hotel into military vehicles and driving off. (Posted 6:24 p.m.)

Suspect in Texas-Pa. killing spree arrested in New York

NEW YORK (CNN) -- A Texas man linked by authorities to five slayings in Texas and one in Pennsylvania was arraigned Tuesday and ordered held without bail, prosecutors said.

Paul Gilbert Devoe III, 43, faced a judge in Suffolk County on a fugitive warrant filed by Texas police, according to Robert Clifford of the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office. He did not waive extradition to Texas, and a conference is scheduled for Friday.

Devoe surrendered to authorities after a brief standoff at a friend's house in Shirley, N.Y., on Monday, said Hector Gomez, a spokesman for the U.S. Marshals Service in Austin. Devoe was armed with a pistol, but he was arrested without anyone being hurt, Gomez said. (Posted 5:51 p.m.)

Craig: 'I am not gay'

BOISE, Idaho (CNN) -- With his wife standing by his side, Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, flatly denied Tuesday that he is gay and said he made a "bad decision" by pleading guilty to disorderly conduct charges stemming from his June arrest in an airport men's room.

"I am not gay. I have never been gay," Craig said at a news conference, where he blamed pressure from an Idaho newspaper investigating his personal life for his decision to plead guilty earlier this month and pay a $575 fine.

"I did nothing wrong, and I regret the decision to plead guilty," he said.

Craig apologized to his family, his staff and the people of Idaho "for the cloud" cast by the revelations about his arrest at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. He also said he has now hired an attorney to advise him on "how to proceed" with regard to the criminal case.

Craig also said he would announce next month whether he will seek re-election to a fourth term in 2008. (Posted 4:57 p.m.)

Craig : 'I did nothing wrong'

BOISE, Idaho (CNN) -- Sen. Larry Craig apologized to friends and family, but said he regretted the decision to plead guilty to a disorderly conduct charge stemming from an incident in an airport rest room in Minneapolis.

"I did nothing wrong," the senator said.

Craig said he had retained counsel to review the case. (Posted 4:41 p.m.)

GOP recommends ethics review of Craig incident

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Republican Senate leadership recommended Tuesday that the Larry Craig matter be referred to the Senate Ethics Committee for review.

"This is a serious matter," the leadership group said in a statement. "Due to the reported and disputed circumstances, and the legal resolution of this serious case, we will recommend that Senator Craig's incident be reported to the Senate Ethics Committee for its review. In the meantime, Leadership is examining other aspects of the case to determine if additional action is required."

The GOP leadership consists of Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Assistant Minority Leader Trent Lott, Conference Chairman Jon Kyl, Policy Committee Chair Kay Bailey Hutchison and Senatorial Committee Chair John Ensign. (Posted 4:33 p.m.)

Al-Sadr calls for calm after Shiite militias clash in Karbala, Baghdad

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called for calm and urged his followers not to attack rivals' offices Tuesday after clashes between Shiite parties left more than 50 dead in Karbala and Baghdad, a spokesman said. (Posted 3:37 p.m.)

Ex-astronaut reserves right to plead insanity in assault case

(CNN) -- Former NASA astronaut Lisa Nowak reserves the right to plead temporary insanity in the case of alleged assault against her romantic rival at Orlando International Airport, according to court documents filed by her lawyer.

The notice of intent to rely on an insanity defense, filed Monday in Orange County Circuit Court, said Nowak's diagnoses include a litany of more than a dozen psychiatric disorders, including obsessive-compulsive disorder, major depressive disorder, severe insomnia, a manic and depressive-like state and Asperger's disorder, a milder variant of autism.

The notice did not challenge her competence to stand trial. Instead, it only raised the assertion of insanity at the time of the offense.

Two Texas psychiatrists -- Dr. Richard Pesikoff of Houston and Dr. George S. Leventon of Bellaire -- are expected to testify on her behalf. (Posted 3:21 p.m.)

U.N. chief to go to Darfur in hopes of reaching 'lasting peace'

UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday that he will go to Africa next week in hopes of brokering a "lasting peace" in the war-torn Darfur region of Sudan.

Ban said he will go to Sudan, neighboring Chad and Libya to view the terrain a U.N.-African Union peacekeeping mission will be guarding and to convince Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to cooperate with the mission and remain engaged in peace talks with Darfur's rebel movements.

The Security Council approved a 26,000-strong "hybrid" peacekeeping mission under joint U.N.-African Union command in July. Ban said the months of diplomacy that led to its creation represented a "historic" chance for peace, and "We must seize it."

Fighting between government-backed militias and rebel groups in Darfur has killed more than 200,000 people and driven about 2 million from their homes in the last four years. Fighting has continued unabated despite the signing of an African Union-brokered peace agreement in May 2006. (Posted 3:19 p.m.)

Suspect in Texas-Pa. killing spree arrested in New York

NEW YORK (CNN) -- A Texas man authorities have linked to five slayings in Texas and one in Pennsylvania faces a judge Tuesday after his arrest on Long Island, police said.

Paul Gilbert Devoe, 43, surrendered to authorities after a brief standoff at a friend's house in Shirley, N.Y., on Monday, said Hector Gomez, a spokesman for the U.S. Marshals Service in Austin. Devoe was armed with a pistol, but he was arrested without anyone being hurt, Gomez said.

While on the run, Devoe told his mother that "I've killed five people," according to an arrest affidavit filed in Austin. His mother reported the call to marshals, the affidavit states.

The Llano, Texas, man already faces murder charges in two recent killings in towns outside Austin, along with a federal charge of unalwful flight to avoid prosecution. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania investigators are probing the death of a woman whose car was found at the scene of Devoe's arrest. (Posted 2:44 p.m.)

In southern Afghanistan, more than 100 insurgents killed in fighting

(CNN) -- Afghan and coalition forces have killed more than 100 insurgent fighters in an ongoing battle Tuesday in southern Afghanistan, the U.S.-led coalition said.

The fighting is in Kandahar province's northern Sha Wali Kot District. Along with the insurgents, one Afghan service member was killed. Three coalition and three Afghan troops were wounded.

The incident started, the coalition said, when troops were attacked by "a large group of insurgents from reinforced fighting positions."

They were armed with heavy machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades, mortars and small arms. (Posted 2:43 p.m.)

50 dead, 247 wounded in Karbala fighting

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Up to 50 people have been killed and 247 others have been wounded over the last 24 hours in fighting across the southern Iraqi city of Karbala, an Interior Ministry official told CNN. (Posted 2:12 p.m.)

Gonzales: New justice center in New Orleans reflects on his tenure

NEW ORLEANS (CNN) -- One day after announcing he is leaving his post, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on Tuesday called the rebuilding of the New Orleans Family Justice Center -- destroyed by fire during Hurricane Katrina -- "one of the best stories of the Department of Justice."

The two-year anniversary of Katrina, the Category 3 storm that devastated the Gulf Coast and killed more than 1,800 people -- nearly 1,600 of them in Louisiana -- is Wednesday.

Gonzales received a standing ovation as he rose to make brief comments, following his tour of the new center, which was built in six months to provide multiple services at one location to victims of domestic violence and abuse.

In addition to the $3 million in federal funds pledged to the center in February, Gonzales said, Congress has approved 60 grants worth more than $21 million to aid law enforcement and local governments in Louisiana reduce crime, including domestic violence. (Posted 2:11 p.m.)

3 killed in Baghdad violence; 13 slain bodies found in Baghdad

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Three people were killed on Tuesday in scattered violence in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, the Interior Ministry told CNN.

The Iraqi military clashed with insurgents in the Sheik Omar section of central Baghdad, and during the fighting, one civilian was killed and three others were wounded.

Two people were killed and six others wounded when a mortar slammed into eastern Baghdad's residential area of New Baghdad.

An Interior Ministry official also said 13 slain unidentified bodies were found in Baghdad on Tuesday, bringing the total number of such bodies found in the capital this month to 406. The people are believed to be victims of sectarian violence. -- From CNN's Jomana Karadsheh and Raja Razek (Posted 1:34 p.m.)

In Iraq's Karbala, fighting prompts pilgrim evacuation order

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Fighting raged Tuesday in the Iraqi southern city of Karbala, where authorities have ordered an evacuation of an estimated hundreds of thousands of Shiite pilgrims commemorating an annual religious event.

One Interior Ministry official said 26 people have been killed and 33 others have been injured, and that the fighting appeared to be the result of hostilities between members of the armed wings of Shiite militias.

A top Interior Ministry spokesman said later that pitched battles have left at least 50 pilgrims, security forces and gunmen killed or wounded. However, he would only characterize the fighting as between security forces and criminals, not as battles between warring militias.

Pilgrims trekked to Karbala to celebrate Sha'abaniya, the birthday of Imam al-Mehdi, the 12th imam, who is revered by Shiites. The celebrations were to reach their peak Tuesday night and head into Wednesday. (Posted 1:18 p.m.)

Confrontations reported between Shiite rivals in Baghdad, Karbala

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- The hostilities in southern Iraq over the last 24 hours between two Shiite movements have now erupted in Baghdad, where authorities say one of the groups torched the other's offices in two neighborhoods.

Authorities say members of the Mehdi Army militia, the armed wing of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's political movement, have set fires at the two offices of the Supreme Islamic Council of Iraq (SICI).

In the northern Baghdad neighborhood of Kadhimiya, the Mehdi Army militia set afire the SICI office, and the militia fought with SICI's Badr Organization, the armed wing of the SICI, an Interior Ministry official said.

The Mehdi Army members also torched the Kadhimiya office of the Dawa Party, the movement of Iraq's prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki -- whose support from the Mehdi Army got him the leadership job. (Posted 1:18 p.m.)

Pentagon investigating alleged fraud and abuse by contractors

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Amid a rising number of criminal investigations into alleged fraud and abuse by defense contractors in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait, the Defense Department and Army are assembling teams to investigate whether the contracting system should be overhauled, senior Pentagon and military officials said Tuesday.

"The secretary is concerned about the number of cases," said a top aide to Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

Since the war began, at least 73 criminal cases alleging contractor misconduct have been opened, including allegations of bribery and fraud, according to the Army.

The Army said it wasn't clear how many of the cases have been closed, but 20 people have been indicted. -- From CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr and Producer Mike Mount (Posted 1:14 p.m.)

U.S. military officer in Abu Ghraib case guilty of disobeying commander, not guilty on all other charges

(CNN) -- Lt. Col. Steven L. Jordan was acquitted Tuesday of charges that he failed to control soldiers who abused detainees at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, but he was found guilty of disobeying a general's command not to talk about the investigation into allegations of prisoner abuse.

Jordan, the only officer among the 12 defendants charged in the 2003 prison scandal, faces up to five years in jail, possible dismissal from the service, and forfeiture of his pay for willfully disobeying a superior commissioned officer.

The case in Fort Meade, Md., proceeds to sentencing Tuesday afternoon.

The judge in the case, Col. Stephen Henley, threw out two of the more serious charges on Aug. 20 -- the first day of the court martial. Those charges dealt with whether Jordan lied to his superior officer, Maj. Gen. George Fay.

Jordan, a reservist, was the commander of the Joint Interrogation Briefing Center at Abu Ghraib.-- From CNN's Paul Courson (Posted 1:10 p.m.)

Police search woods for missing NJ mom

NEW YORK (CNN) -- New Jersey police Tuesday are scouring a wooded area surrounding a large reservoir hoping to find any evidence of a New Jersey woman who has been missing for over a week, police said Tuesday.

Emerson police received an anonymous phone call on Aug. 20 that Liza Murphy, 42, of Emerson had last been seen the previous day.

Her husband and father of the couple's three children, Joseph Murphy, remains at Hackensack University Hospital for injuries sustained when he walked into oncoming traffic on Friday, police and hospital officials said Tuesday.

Reports quoting police said he had tried to commit suicide, but Yehley would not confirm that information to CNN. -- From CNN's Sarah B. Boxer (Posted 12:20 p.m.)

Arresting officer in Craig case details senator's actions in Minnesota airport rest room

(CNN) -- Sen. Larry Craig peered through a crack in the door of a men's rest room stall at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in June and allegedly made several gestures suggesting he wanted to engage in "lewd conduct," according to the plainclothes police officer who was in the stall and later arrested the Idaho senator.

In his report on the June 11th incident, Officer David Karsnia said he could see Craig's blue eyes as he looked into the stall repeatedly over about two minutes.

"Craig would look down at his hands, 'fidget' with his fingers, and then look through the crack in my stall again," Karsnia wrote in documents accompanying the arrest report that were obtained by CNN.

The Idaho Republican pleaded guilty earlier this month to a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge in the incident, according to Minnesota criminal records.

The officer said he was working in the rest room because of previous citizen complaints and several arrests regarding sexual activity in that location. (Posted 11:58 a.m.)

Fighting reported between Shiite rivals in Baghdad neighborhood

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Fighting was reported in northern Baghdad on Tuesday between two rival Shiite factions, and there was a fire at the headquarters of one of the groups, an Interior Ministry official told CNN.

Members of the Mehdi Army militia, the armed wing of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's political movement and the Badr Organization, the fighters aligned with the Supreme Islamic Council of Iraq were squaring off in Kadhimiya.

The SICI office in Kadhimiya is on fire, the official said, and the area has been cordoned by security forces. Kadhimiya is the home of the Musa al-Kadhim shrine, a mosque revered by Shiites.

There were no immediate reports of casualties, but the confrontation is significant because it comes as those two same groups are said to be fighting in the southern city of Karbala, where a major religious commemoration is being held. (Posted 11:33 a.m.)

Judge clears way for Noriega to be extradited to France

MIAMI (CNN) -- A federal judge on Tuesday approved the extradition of former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega to France, where he faces a 10-year sentence on a conviction in absentia on money-laundering charges.

Magistrate William Turnoff agreed with government's case to extradite Noriega to France and issued on Tuesday a "certificate of extradability."

Noriega's lawyer, Frank Rubino, said he would continue to fight the extradition. He had said that Noriega hoped to return to Panama to be closer to his family.

The issue has emerged because Noriega is slated to complete his Florida prison term Sept. 9.

Noriega's attorneys had argued that his status as a prisoner of war meant he should be returned to Panama, but a separate court ruling last Friday rejected that argument. (Posted 11:15 a.m.)

Judge clears way for Noriega to be extradited to France

MIAMI (CNN) -- A federal judge on Tuesday approved the extradition to France of former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega. (Posted 10:49 a.m.)

Alleged 'D.C. Madam' wants to fire second defense attorney appointed by court

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The alleged "D.C. madam" who is accused of running a high-dollar prostitution ring around the nation's capital is asking a federal judge to dismiss a prominent attorney the court had appointed to replace a public defender in her criminal case.

Deborah Jeane Palfrey wants to represent herself with the help of a lawyer who is representing her in a civil case but is not licensed to practice criminal law in Washington. U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler takes up the request Tuesday at a status hearing.

But prosecutors filed court papers Monday opposing what Palfrey calls "hybrid representation," since the attorney, Montgomery Blair Sibley, cannot directly defend his client against criminal charges.

A grand jury indicted Palfrey March 1 on money laundering and racketeering charges in connection with her former business -- Pamela Martin & Associates escort service. She pleaded not guilty to the charges on March 2. -- From CNN's Paul Courson (Posted 10:49 a.m.)

3 killed in Baghdad violence

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Three people were killed on Tuesday in scattered violence in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, the Interior Ministry told CNN.

The Iraqi military clashed with insurgents in the Sheik Omar section of central Baghdad, and during the fighting, one civilian was killed and three others were wounded.

Two people were killed and six others wounded when a mortar slammed into eastern Baghdad's residential area of New Baghdad. -- From CNN's Jomana Karadsheh and Raja Razek (Posted 10:41 a.m.)

In Iraq's Karbala, fighting prompts pilgrim evacuation order

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Fighting raged Tuesday in the Iraqi southern city of Karbala, where authorities have ordered an evacuation of an estimated hundreds of thousands of Shiite pilgrims commemorating an annual religious event.

One Interior Ministry official said 26 people have been killed and 33 others have been injured, and that the fighting appeared to be the result of hostilities between members of the armed wings of Shiite militias.

A top Interior Ministry spokesman said later that pitched battles have left at least 50 pilgrims, security forces and gunmen killed or wounded. However, he would only characterze the fighting as between security forces and criminals, not as battles between warring militias.

Pilgrims trekked to Karbala to celebrate Sha'abaniya, the birthday of Imam al-Mehdi, the 12th imam, who is revered by Shiites. The celebrations were to reach their peak Tuesday night and head into Wednesday. (Posted 10:41 a.m.)

Controversial Turkish FM nominated as president

(CNN) -- Turkey's parliament Tuesday overwhelmingly approved Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul as Turkey's 11th president despite widespread opposition from secularists.

He won 339 votes out of 448 lawmakers who attended Tuesday's session.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan nominated Gul to the post earlier this year, which sparked a political stalemate and massive protests from secular Turks who feared Erdogan's Justice and Development Party, or AKP, would attempt to turn Turkey into an Islamic state.

Elections were moved up to July after opposition lawmakers blocked Gul's nomination.

Turkish voters handed the ruling AKP a clear majority in parliament.

The AKP says it is modern and has moved beyond its Islamist past. But many secularists believe the party is an Islamist wolf in sheep's clothing, a movement that seeks to destroy the secular system. (Posted 10:08 a.m.)

Attack on U.S. troops in eastern Afghan spark concerns of new trend

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Three American troops serving with NATO were killed Tuesday in a suicide bombing in the eastern Afghan city of Gardez, the U.S. military told CNN.

A Pentagon official said the attack is of some concern because it may signal a new trend in targeting U.S. forces, who have a large presence in the eastern part of Afghanistan.

The incident occurred in Gardez, located in Paktia province.

NATO's International Security Assistance Force earlier said that three ISAF soldiers were killed and six wounded by the bomber, but didn't list their nationalities.

CNN, however, independently confirmed from three sources that the troops were Americans. (Posted 10:08 a.m.)

Rev. Graham recovering more than a week after hospitalization

(CNN) -- The Rev. Billy Graham, the 88-year-old legendary Christian evangelist, "is in good spirits" and regaining strength more than a week after he was hospitalized for intestinal bleeding, according to a recent statement on Graham's Web site billygraham.org.

He was admitted to the Mission Health & Hospitals in Asheville, N.C., near his home in Montreat on Aug. 18 for the bleeding, which has recurred two times, according to the statement posted Monday.

The statement said he is resting and undergoing physical therapy "to build strength and prepare him for going home."

Graham's wife, Ruth Bell Graham, died in June. (Posted 9:41 a.m.)

3 troops killed in eastern Afghan attack were Americans

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The three NATO troops killed in a suicide bombing on Tuesday in eastern Afghanistan were Americans, the U.S. military told CNN. (Posted 9:33 a.m.)

Oil Ministry: 5 freed after being kidnapped two-weeks ago

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Iraq's Oil Ministry said that a deputy oil minister and four other employees who were abducted two weeks ago from a Baghdad ministry compound were freed on Tuesday.

The deputy oil minister, Abdul Jabber al-Wagga, and the four others, general managers, are in good health and have returned home, the ministry said.

They were kidnapped by gunmen clad in army uniforms on Aug. 14 and were whisked away from their apartments in a ministry compound along Palestine Street in southeastern Baghdad.

At least 60 gunmen driving in 17 vehicles clashed with the guards of the compound and wounded five of them as they stormed the compound, which includes residential buildings, authorities said. (Posted 9:02 a.m.)

At least 26 dead in Karbala fighting; evacuation of Shiite pilgrims under way

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- At least 26 people have been killed and 33 wounded in fighting since Monday night in the Iraqi city of Karbala, sparking a curfew and the evacuation of Shiite pilgrims who have traveled to the city for a religious commemoration, Iraq's Interior Ministry told CNN Tuesday. (Posted 8:24 a.m.)

Seoul: South Korean negotiators reach deal with Taliban captors

SEOUL, South Korea (CNN) -- South Korean negotiators in Afghanistan have reached a deal with Taliban militants holding 19 South Korean Christian aid workers for over a month, a presidential spokesman in Seoul said Tuesday.

Seoul welcomes the deal, but the spokesman cautioned that many details must still be worked out and the aid workers will not be released immediately.

Under the terms of the agreement, South Korea agreed to stick by its previous decision to withdraw its 200 non-combat troops from Afghanistan, which work mostly in an engineering and medical capacity.

In addition, Seoul will halt all Christian missionary work in Afghanistan.

The spokesman said there was no agreement to pay the captors, nor was there any mention of releasing Taliban prisoners -- a major demand of the kidnappers. (Posted 7:46 a.m.)

Calmer winds could aid Greek firefighters battling deadly blazes

PIRGOS, Greece (CNN) -- Firefighters in Greece hope to capitalize on improved weather conditions on Tuesday, including weaker winds, to get a handle on dozens of fires that have scorched the country for five days, claiming 63 lives.

The largest fire is burning on the island of Evia, north of Athens. The fires are concentrated in the southern Peloponnese region from its western end to its southeastern tip. Fire officials said Tuesday that another smaller firefront has broken out in Peloponnese town of Matessi.

Winds are expected to pick up later in the week, which could create new fires.

Greek officials have blamed the fires, which began last Thursday, on arson. At least seven people are in custody in connection with the ongoing investigation, government spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos said Monday. (Posted 7:25 a.m.)

In Iraq's Karbala, 5 dead, 30 wounded in fighting

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Police exchanged fire with gunmen in the holy Shiite city of Karbala in a two-hour battle Monday evening, killing at least five people and wounding 30 others, the Interior Ministry said.

Thousands of pilgrims are in Karbala to commemorate Sha'abaniya, the birthday of Imam al-Mehdi, the 12th Imam, who is revered by Shiites. The celebrations reach their peak on Tuesday night into Wednesday.

Tensions between the Badr Organization and the Mehdi Army -- the armed wings of two major Shiite political movements -- have been high in the south of the country. There have been a number of battles and targeted assassinations, especially over the past few months.

The Badr Organization, which is affiliated with the Supreme Islamic Council of Iraq, has been incorporated into Iraqi security forces throughout the country. The Mehdi Army is the militia of anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. (Posted 7:25 a.m.)

Suicide bomber kills 3 NATO soldiers, wounds 6 in eastern Afghanistan

(CNN) -- A suicide bomber in eastern Afghanistan killed three NATO soldiers and wounded six others Tuesday as they were working on a bridge project in eastern Afghanistan, according to a news release from NATO's International Security Assistance Force.

As a matter of ISAF's policy, the soldiers' nationalities were not released.

The suicide bomber approached the soldiers and "self-detonated, instantly killing himself and two nearby soldiers," ISAF said.

The third soldier died en route to an ISAF medical facility.

"Our thoughts during this very difficult time are with the friends, family and colleagues of the soldiers who were killed in this incident," said ISAF spokesman Maj. Charles Anthony. (Posted 7:20 a.m.)

U.S. military: 33 insurgents killed in Iraq's Diyala fighting

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Several hundred Iraqi and U.S. troops in Iraq's Diyala province killed 33 insurgents on Monday in an effort to restore a city's water supply, the U.S. military said.

The military said in a statement on Tuesday that troops carried out an "air assault" in the community of Gobia to restore water services to nearby Khalis. An air assault is when troops are transported by aircraft to a battle site.

"The objective of the mission was to open the spillway, which regulates water flow to the town of Khalis, restoring the essential service of water," the military said.

The "pre-dawn" operation "defeated numerous small-arms attacks throughout the day resulting in a combined 13 insurgents killed. Coalition force attack helicopters and close air support supported the ground forces, killing 20 more," the military said. (Posted 7 a.m.)

Iraq's military battles insurgents in heart of the capital; Police fight gunmen in Karbala

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- The Iraqi military clashed with insurgents in the Sheik Omar section of central Baghdad Tuesday, just before midday, an Interior Ministry official said.

During the fighting, one civilian was killed and three others were wounded.

In Karbala, police exchanged fire with gunmen in the holy Shiite city in a two-hour battle Monday evening, killing at least four people and wounding 22 others, the Interior Ministry said.

Thousands of pilgrims are in Karbala to commemorate Sha'abaniya, the birthday of Imam al-Mehdi, the 12th Imam, who is revered by Shiites. The celebrations reach their peak on Tuesday night into Wednesday. (Posted 5:15 a.m.)

Iraq's military battles insurgents in heart of the capital

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- The Iraqi military clashed with insurgents in the Sheik Omar section of central Baghdad Tuesday, just before midday, an Interior Ministry official said.

During the fighting, one civilian was killed and three others were wounded. (Posted 4 a.m.)

Coast Guard rescues teenagers off the New Jersey coast

(CNN) -- The U.S. Coast Guard rescued a pair of teenage boys from a 16-foot boat that broke down off the New Jersey coast Monday afternoon.

According to a Coast Guard statement, the disabled boat was spotted 35 miles east of Cape May, N.J. by the crew of The Denny Striper Show, a 25-foot recreational boat.

"If it weren't for the crew of The Denny Striper Show, we may not have known there was any trouble," said Petty Officer 1st Class Kyle Gerkens from a Coast Guard office in Atlantic City. "The teenagers didn't tell anyone where they were going, and they owe a huge debt of gratitude to the good Samaritan for finding them."

Rescued were Gus Fellenbaum, 15, and Devon Johnson, 14, both of Avalon, N.J. The boys were released into the custody of their parents.(Posted 2:15 a.m.) E-mail to a friend