The CNN Wire: Wednesday Aug 29

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.

Iraqi police officers dismantling bomb wounded

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- At least four Iraqi police officers were wounded when a roadside bomb they were dismantling exploded Thursday morning on a bridge in central Baghdad, Iraq's Interior Ministry said.

In recent months bridges in and around the capital have been prime targets for insurgents. (Posted 2:35 a.m.)

Quicker notification may have saved lives in Virginia Tech shootings

(CNN) -- More timely and more specific information by Virginia Tech officials might have saved lives in a spring shooting spree on campus that left 33 people dead, a high-profile independent panel investigating the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history said in a report issued late Wednesday.

"Warning the students, faculty and staff might have made a difference," the report said. "So the earlier and clearer the warning, the more chance an individual had of surviving."

On April 16, Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 students and faculty before taking his own life. (Posted 2:20 a.m.)

NATO soldier killed in southern Afghan, 2 others wounded

(CNN) -- A NATO soldier was killed and two other soldiers were wounded while on patrol in southern Afghanistan Thursday, a statement from NATO's International Security Assistance Force said. An interpreter with the group was also died.

The statement did not specify the location where the incident took place or the nationality of the soldiers involved.

NATO forces in the south include British, Canadian, Dutch and American troops.

"ISAF troops and their interpreter colleagues routinely work in a hugely difficult and challenging environment," ISAF spokeswoman Lt. Col. Bridget Rose said. (Posted 2:10 a.m.)

Leading Idaho newspaper says Craig must go

BOISE, Idaho (CNN) -- Idaho's largest newspaper is calling on Sen. Larry Craig to resign from office, saying he can no longer effectively serve his home state in the wake of his guilty plea to disorderly conduct charges after being arrested during a sting at a Minneapolis airport men's room in June.

"We cannot abide an elected official who didn't disclose a lewd conduct arrest until the story broke 77 days later -- a lie by omission and a violation of the public trust," the Idaho Statesman said in an editorial that will be published in Thursday's editions. "We cannot afford ... to have a senator who merely provides fodder for bloggers and late-night talk show hosts."

When news of the Craig's guilty plea in a Minnesota court first surfaced Monday, the Statesman's editorial page had called on Idaho residents not to rush to judgment and give the veteran Republican senator a chance to explain himself.

However, after Craig's statement on the matter Tuesday -- in which he denied being gay, insisted he did not engage in inappropriate conduct and said his guilty plea was a "mistake" prompted by the Statesman's own investigation into long-standing rumors about his sexuality -- the newspaper's editorial board changed its mind. (Posted 11:15 p.m.)

Bomb threat scam targets banks, stores

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Federal investigators are looking overseas for clues and suspects in a scam that uses bomb threats to extort money from banks and other stores that have the ability to electronically transfer funds, law enforcement officials told CNN Wednesday.

For the past week, banks and stores in 12 states across the country have been hit by the scam, in which telephone calls allege there is a bomb on the premises that can be detonated if employees don't meet a demand to send money to an account.

At least $13,000 has been extorted, a law enforcement source said.

FBI spokesman Rich Kolko said the scam calls started in Portland, Ore., on Aug. 23 and heated up three days later.

A source told CNN that investigators are looking for a suspect in Portugal who appears to be tied to an account number given by the caller in his demands.

-- From CNN Senior Producer Carol Cratty (Posted 9:22 p.m.)

McCain says his White House campaign 'going to be just fine'

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- Despite staff shake-ups, fund-raising woes and stagnant poll numbers, Sen. John McCain insisted Wednesday that he is "happy" with his presidential campaign and still expects that, as the "most prepared" candidate, he can win the GOP nomination.

"There's ups and downs in every campaign I've ever been in. I've made mistakes many times in my political career, and I've always corrected them," McCain told CNN Chief National Correspondent John King. "We're going to be just fine. As soon as people start focusing on the race, we're going to win the nomination."

McCain, who has been a staunch supporter of the war in Iraq, also said he opposes a call from a leading Republican voice on defense issues, Sen. John Warner of Virginia, to announce the withdrawal of some U.S. forces by Christmas, in order to send the message that the American presence in Iraq will not be indefinite.

"It's a bad idea, a terrible idea, and I'll fight it every step of the way," McCain said. (Posted: 6:18 p.m.)

Report: Katrina's impact on schools and students is not over

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Two years after Hurricane Katrina hit, students in affected areas are still missing school, underachieving and dropping out, a report released Wednesday said.

According to the report from the Atlanta-based Southern Education Foundation (SEF), 20,000 to 30,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade did not attend school at all during the 2005-06 school year. During the following school year, as many as 10,000 to 15,000 students may have missed all or most days of school, the report said.

The SEF report, titled "Education After Katrina: Time for a New Federal Response," tracked displaced students who attended schools in other states and those who remained in Mississippi and Louisiana.

The report found that pre-school enrollment rates are down and college students are dropping out from both public and private institutions at record rates. (Posted: 5:34 p.m.)

Dear Employers: Ignore this letter at your own peril

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Employers: Consider yourselves warned.

For more than a decade, the Social Security Administration has been alerting employers when a worker's name and Social Security number does not match government records. The letters are frequently ignored.

But beginning next week, the letter will include an insert from the Department of Homeland Security advising employers that they ignore the letter at their peril. It's part of the federal government's effort to reduce the employment of undocumented aliens.

Some predict it will trigger mass firings that will include people erroneously identified as being in the United States illegally. Others predict it will do little to change the employment landscape. (Posted: 5:33 p.m.)

Stocks bounce back with 250-point gain after Tuesday selloff

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Stocks rallied Wednesday, bouncing back after a two-session retreat sparked by worries about the turmoil in the credit and mortgage markets and questions about the direction of Federal Reserve policy.

The Dow Jones industrial average gained 1.9 percent, according to early tallies. The broader S&P 500 index added 2.2 percent and the Nasdaq Composite gained 2.5 percent.

The major gauges began the session in positive territory and build on the gains throughout the day. Treasury prices slipped as investors took money out of the safe-haven investments and put it back into stocks. The greenback was mixed versus other major currencies. Oil and gold prices jumped. (Posted: 5:32 p.m.)

Craig gives up leadership posts after airport bust, guilty plea

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. Larry Craig has agreed to give up his leadership posts on Senate committees temporarily following his arrest in a Minneapolis airport men's room and subsequent guilty plea, Republican Senate leaders announced Wednesday.

Craig, of Idaho, is the ranking Republican on the Senate Veterans Affairs committee and on two key subcommittees -- the Appropriations Committee's panel overseeing the Interior Department and the Energy and National Resources subcommittee on public lands.

"This is not a decision we take lightly, but we believe this is in the best interest of the Senate until this situation is resolved by the Ethics Committee," the Senate's GOP leaders said in a statement issued Wednesday. The three-term senator also sits on the Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee and the Special Committee on Aging. (Posted: 4:30 p.m.)

Jewell, one-time Olympic park bombing suspect, dies

(CNN) -- Richard Jewell, the security guard wrongly suspected and later cleared of setting off a deadly bomb at Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park during the 1996 Olympics, has died, his attorney, Lin Wood, told CNN Wednesday. Jewell was 44.

He died at his home in Woodbury, Ga., according to Meriwether County Coroner Johnny Worley, who said he is working with the GBI on the autopsy, which should be completed Thursday afternoon. No foul play is suspected, he said.

Worley said Jewell had been suffering from diabetes and kidney failure since February. After 12 weeks of scrutiny following the bombing, Jewell was cleared by the FBI and U.S. Attorney Kent Alexander in an unprecedented government acknowledgment of wrongful accusation. (Posted: 4:18 p.m.)

Two leading Republicans call on Craig to resign over airport bust

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Two leading Republicans in Congress called Wednesday on Idaho Sen. Larry Craig to resign Wednesday after Craig's arrest in a Minneapolis airport men's room and subsequent guilty plea.

Sen. John McCain, a GOP presidential candidate, and Rep. Peter Hoekstra, the ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, both said Craig should give up his Senate seat as a result of the scandal.

"My opinion is that when you plead guilty to a crime, you shouldn't serve," McCain told CNN. And in a statement issued by his office, Hoekstra said Craig's conduct "has been inappropriate for a U.S. senator." (Posted: 3:23 p.m.)

Top U.S. commander in Lebanon for aid talks

(CNN) -- In the first visit by a top-ranking American commander in decades, the chief of U.S. forces in the Middle East landed Wednesday in Lebanon for talks with the country's prime minister and senior military officers.

Adm. William Fallon, the head of U.S. Central Command, met with Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and Lebanese military chiefs to discuss training, security arrangements and arms sales to Siniora's pro-Western government, U.S. military officials told CNN.

The Bush administration has supplied the Lebanese army with ammunition, body armor and night-vision goggles during its three-month battle with Islamic militants linked to the al Qaeda terrorist network. The group, known as Fatah al-Islam, has holed up in a Palestinian refugee camp outside the northern city of Tripoli. (Posted: 3:11 p.m.)

Helmsley pooch receives $12 million

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Hotelier Leona Helmsley left a $12 million trust fund to ensure her white Maltese continues living in the lap of luxury, according to her will, contents of which have been made public.

That's more than some of her grandchildren got.

Helmsley established the fund for her dog Trouble along with plans for it to be buried next to her in the Helmsley family's mausoleum in a Bronx cemetery when the time comes.

To ensure the mausoleum's proper upkeep -- including annual acid or steam cleanings -- Helmsley gave it $3 million. (Posted: 2:10 p.m.)

Craig losing support in Idaho, GOP; White House 'disappointed'

BOISE, Idaho (CNN) -- Sen. Larry Craig has lost support among conservatives and Republicans in his home state of Idaho after news of his arrest in a Minneapolis airport men's room emerged, and the White House said Wednesday it was "disappointed" by the matter.

"I believe he should resign, because I believe character is an extremely important qualification for public service," Bryan Fischer, executive director of the Idaho Values Alliance, told CNN's "American Morning." "I believe the senator, by his own admission, has acknowledged that he has fallen short of the standard that we should expect from public servants," Fischer said.

Craig, who is scheduled to face voters in 2008, pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct this month after his June arrest during an undercover police sting targeting lewd behavior in restrooms of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. (Posted: 1:45 p.m.)

Bhutto: Musharraf has agreed to step down as Pakistan's army chief

(CNN) -- Pakistan's President, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, has agreed to step down as the country's military chief during negotiations on a power-sharing deal with Pakistan's former prime minister and opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, she told CNN Wednesday.

"This is no longer an issue in the negotiations, because General Musharraf recognizes that it is very difficult to move to a transition towards democracy when there's a chief of army staff ruling the country," Bhutto told CNN.

"I think he wants to make the right decision, so I expect he's going to take the uniform off." Pakistani cabinet minister Sheikh Rashid confirmed that Musharraf has agreed to step down as army chief. (Posted: 1:32 p.m.)

Trucker charged with murder of NJ woman

NEW YORK (CNN) -- A trucker arrested last month in connection with a Massachusetts home invasion has been charged with murdering a Bloomsbury, N.J woman, New Jersey State police said Wednesday.

Adam Lane, 42, of North Carolina was linked to the stabbing death of Monica Massaro after Massachusetts police charged him with trying to rape and kidnap a 15-year-old girl in her home in Chelmsford.

Police found the body of Massaro, 38, in her apartment on July 30 and had been searching for her killer when they searched a federal database of information on truck drivers who are criminal suspects and came up with the name of Adam Leroy Lane, said Deputy Chief Dan Hurley, a spokesman for the Hunterdon County Prosecutor's Office. (Posted: 1:15 p.m.)

Canadian soldier in Afghanistan dies of gunshot wound; 'enemy action ruled out'

(CNN) -- A Canadian soldier in Afghanistan died Wednesday after being found in his room with a gunshot wound, Canadian forces said.

The service member worked at NATO's International Security Assistance Force headquarters in Kabul. Canadian forces said "enemy action has been ruled out."

Canadian forces said he had been found "significantly injured in his room at approximately 6:30 a.m. and "succumbed to a gunshot wound shortly after 7:30 a.m. Kabul time despite efforts by ISAF medical personnel to save him."

This brings the number of Canadian troop deaths in the Afghan conflict to 70. Most Canadian forces in Afghanistan are based in the southern province of Kandahar. (Posted: 1:09 p.m.)

White House 'disappointed' by Craig arrest

NEW ORLEANS (CNN) -- The White House said Wednesday it was "disappointed" by the arrest of Idaho Republican Sen. Larry Craig in a Minneapolis airport men's room, but said the Senate's GOP leadership should decide how to handle the matter. (Posted: 1:05 p.m.)

NH newspaper pressures Thompson to join debate

(CNN) -- An influential New Hampshire newspaper Wednesday put new pressure on likely GOP presidential candidate Fred Thompson to take part in next week's debate in the Granite State, warning that "avoiding it costs him stature, which is his chief political commodity right now."

The Union Leader editorial page, closely watched in the state and by conservative activists, said Thompson "has flirted from afar with Republican voters for long enough. It's time for him to accept a date. And there is no better first date than the New Hampshire Republican Party's presidential debate."

The state party is sponsoring its first debate Sept. 5 at the University of New Hampshire in Durham. (Posted: 12:51 p.m.)

South of Kirkuk, suicide bombing kills 2 civilians

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- At least two civilians were killed and four others were wounded on Wednesday in a predominantly Arab region south of the Iraqi city of Kirkuk, a diverse area with many Arabs, Kurds and Turkmens. The explosive detonated 100 meters from a police checkpoint in Duwaiz. (Posted: 12:50 p.m.)

Hilly Kristal, owner of famed rock venue, dies at 75

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Hilly Kristal, the founder and owner of CBGBs, the legendary rock club long associated with the bands that spawned the punk-rock music scene, has died at the age of 75, his daughter said Wednesday.

Kristal died Tuesday at Cabrini Hospice in New York after a long battle with lung cancer, and nearly one year after he lost a bitter battle to keep his club open.

Kristal is survived by his daughter, Lisa Kristal Burgman; his son, Mark Dana Kristal and two grandchildren. A private memorial service is planned. A public memorial will be held at a later date, Burgman said.

Kristal often viewed his club as his "child." In the months before his death, all he wanted to talk about were his grandchildren, Jenny and Adam, and his club, his daughter added. (Posted: 12:48 p.m.)

Report: No evidence astronauts flew drunk

(CNN) -- A NASA review released Wednesday has found no evidence that astronauts flew aircraft or spacecraft while under the influence of alcohol.

A panel carried out the internal review after anecdotal evidence emerged of astronauts flying while intoxicated.

The report, written by Bryan O'Connor, chief of NASA's Office of Safety and Mission Assurance and himself a former astronaut, was posted on the agency's Web site.

"Within the scope and limitations of this review, I was unable to verify any case in which an astronaut spaceflight crewmember was impaired on launch day, or any case where a manager of a flight surgeon or co-crewmember disregarded their recommendation that a crewmember not fly shuttle or Soyuz," O'Connor wrote. (Posted: 12:47 p.m.)

Bush: 'New Orleans, better days are ahead'

NEW ORLEANS (CNN) -- President Bush toured the first new public school to open in the city's hard-hit Lower Ninth Ward since Hurricane Katrina began inundating the city two years ago Wednesday.

Many schools in the poorest neighborhoods were made uninhabitable. Most have been gutted, but some remain stark symbols of the flooding that destroyed thousands of buildings and lives.

During the construction of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Charter School, instructors have been teaching in makeshift structures. In another part of the city, Mayor Ray Nagin participated in the groundbreaking for a memorial to the storm victims. (Posted: 12:15 p.m.)

Iran expresses 'strong protest' to temporary detentions in Iraq

(CNN) -- Iran is strongly protesting the U.S. military's temporary detention of eight Iranian delegates in Baghdad, summoning the Swiss diplomat who represents U.S. affairs in Tehran to the Iranian foreign ministry Wednesday, according to a report from Iran's state-run media.

The Iranians -- who were detained Tuesday with their Iraqi escorts -- work for Tehran's power ministry and had been invited by Iraqi government officials to the capital to sign an electricity supply contract, according to Yassin Majid, an aide to Iraq's prime minister. They were released Wednesday morning, he said.

The group was picked up after a search of their vehicle found their Iraqi security detail was armed, but had no weapons permits, the U.S. military said.

Video shot Tuesday showed U.S. soldiers escorting 10 people -- their eyes blindfolded and some with their hands bound in front of them -- from a Baghdad hotel and into military vehicles before driving off. (Posted 11:13 a.m.)

In Iraq's Babil province, curfews, influx of fleeing Shiite pilgrims, attacks

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- The hostilities and tension in Karbala and Baghdad among Shiite rivals have spread to Babil province, leading to deaths and attacks on political offices in the volatile region just south of Baghdad.

SICI's Badr Organization and Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi Army fought Monday night into Tuesday in the southern city of Karbala, a confrontation that spawned more fighting and curfews across the country.

The fighting came as a major Shiite pilgrimage climaxed.

As fighting raged in Karbala, a half-dozen offices of the Supreme Islamic Council of Iraq had been attacked by Mehdi Army fighters in the Baghdad area, where the groups squared off. (Posted 11:12 a.m.)

Taliban militants free 12 South Korean hostages; 7 still in captivity

(CNN) -- Taliban militants in Afghanistan Wednesday released a total of 12 South Korean hostages, part of a group of 19 Christian aid workers who have been held for nearly six weeks, according to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent and the South Korean government.

The kidnappers freed the 10 women and two men in three separate groups, a day after South Korea announced its team of negotiators in Afghanistan had reached a deal with Taliban militants.

The hostages are part of an original group of 23 South Korean Christian aid workers, abducted by Taliban militants on July 19 as they traveled on a bus in Ghazni province in eastern Afghanistan.

The kidnappers later executed two of the South Koreans. They freed two female hostages who were reportedly ill earlier this month as a "goodwill gesture," according to a Taliban spokesman. (Posted 10:51 a.m.)

Report: No evidence astronauts flew drunk

(CNN) -- An internal NASA review -- conducted after an independent 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 an independent panel commissioned by NASA 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 independent committee was convened by NASA 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.

Nowak has pleaded not guilty to the charges. (Posted 10:23 a.m.)

Human misery still fresh after Katrina

NEW ORLEANS (CNN) -- When Hurricane Katrina slammed into the coasts of Louisiana and Mississippi on Aug. 29 two years ago, few could have foreseen the immense destruction and emotional pain it would cause.

"In our judgment, we view this storm as a temporary disruption that is being addressed by the government and by the private sector. We've taken immediate steps to address the issue," Bush said on Sept. 1, 2005.

But, for Bay St. Louis, Miss., resident Linda Fallon, the misery is far from over. She tearfully told CNN Tuesday, "I would like them to know that we still need all the help and caring and volunteers. We need it bad. People don't realize. They just don't realize."

Bay St. Louis and Waveland -- both close-knit beachfront communities -- were nearly destroyed. In Waveland on Wednesday, the names of the dead were read out loud during a special service.

Bush is participating in ceremonies marking the anniversary, and plans to speak Wednesday morning in New Orleans before heading to Bay St. Louis to deliver a statement later in the day. It is his 15th visit to the region since the hurricane hit. (Posted 10:15 a.m.)

Iran expresses 'strong protest' to temporary detentions in Iraq

(CNN) -- Iran is strongly protesting the U.S. military's temporary detention of eight Iranian delegates in Baghdad, summoning the Swiss diplomat who represents U.S. affairs in Tehran to the Iranian foreign ministry Wednesday, according to a report from Iran's state-run media.

The Iranians -- who were detained on Tuesday -- worked for Tehran's power ministry and were invited by Iraqi government officials to the capital to sign an electricity supply contract, according to Yassin Majid, an aide to Iraq's prime minister. They were released Wednesday morning, he said.

Video Tuesday showed U.S. soldiers escorting 10 people -- their hands bound in front of them and their eyes blindfolded -- from a Baghdad hotel and into military vehicles before driving off.

Iraq and the United States are at odds over Iran's role in Iraq. Washington has repeatedly accused Tehran of meddling by supplying weapons and training to Shiite Muslim militias. (Posted 9:51 a.m.)

U.S. military officer reprimanded for disobeying commander in Abu Ghraib case

(CNN) -- Lt. Col. Steven L. Jordan was sentenced to a reprimand Wednesday for disobeying a general's order not to talk about the investigation into allegations of prisoner abuse at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison.

A military jury in Ft. Meade, Md., convicted the colonel Tuesday of disobeying a superior officer, and announced the sentence Wednesday.

Jurors acquitted Jordan Tuesday of charges that he failed to control soldiers who abused detainees at the infamous prison that was run by U.S. forces at the time.

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

However, the final sentence was a reprimand. (Posted 9:49 a.m.)

Al-Sadr orders six-month suspension of Mehdi Army militia for restructuring

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has ordered a suspension of his Mehdi Army militia over a six-month period for restructuring, a senior aide announced on Wednesday.

This comes after battles in both Karbala and Baghdad between the Mehdi Army, the militia of anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, and the Badr Organization, the armed wing of the Supreme Islamic Council of Iraq (SICI) -- hostilities that left nearly 60 people dead and scores injured.

Hazem al-Araji, who read the cleric's order on Iraqi State TV, said the order applies to all members of the fighting force.-- From CNN's Jomana Karadsheh (Posted 9:20 a.m.)

Al-Sadr orders six-month suspension of Mehdi Army militia for restructuring

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has ordered a suspension of his Mehdi Army militia over a six-month period for restructuring.

Al-Sadr's senior aide, Hazem al-Araji, read the cleric's order on Iraqi State TV.

This comes after the battles between the Mehdi Army and the Badr Organization, a rival Shiite militia, in Karbala and Baghdad.

The spokesman said the order applies to all members of the fighting force. He also announced three days of mourning and the closing of all of his offices to condemn the events in Karbala. -- From CNN's Jomana Karadsheh (Posted 7:50 a.m.)

Taliban militants free 8 South Korean hostages; 11 still in captivity

(CNN) -- Taliban militants in Afghanistan Wednesday released eight South Korean hostages, part of a group of 19 Christian aid workers who have been held for nearly six weeks, according to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent and the South Korean government.

The kidnappers freed four women and a man hours after releasing the initial group of three women -- Ahn Hye-jin, 31, Lee Jung-ran, 33, and Han Ji-young, 34.

The releases come a day after South Korea announced its team of negotiators in Afghanistan had reached a deal with Taliban militants.

The hostages are part of an original group of 23 South Korean Christian aid workers, abducted by Taliban militants on July 19 as they traveled on a bus in Ghazni province in eastern Afghanistan. The kidnappers later executed two of the South Koreans. On August 13, they freed freed two women who were said to be ill, as a "gesture of goodwill." (Posted 7:50 a.m.)

Red Cross: Five more S. Korean hostages freed

(CNN) -- Five more South Korean hostages -- four women and one man -- have been freed by their Taliban captors in Afghanistan, according to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent

They were handed over to the South Korean delegation negotiating their release, the Red Cross said.

Hours earlier, Taliban militants released three female South Korean hostages in Afghanistan, the South Korean government said Wednesday. (Posted 7:06 a.m.)

Union calls for massive strike at prisons in England, Wales

LONDON (CNN) -- A British union representing prison workers called on its 28,000 members to go on strike Wednesday in protest of wage and working conditions.

It is unclear how many of the members took part in the strike.

Prison Officers' Association Colin Moses said he expected most of the members, working at 140 prisons throughout England and Wales, to not to show up for work. But Britain's Ministry of Justice would not comment on how many workers were on strike.

Moses said England and Wales are home to the "largest prison population in Western Europe" -- with 81,000 inmates -- yet the government is paying prison officers "below the rate of inflation."

In a statement, the Ministry of Justice said the job action by the POA was "illegal and a breach of the Joint Industrial Relations Procedural Agreement" and would "be seeking advice on our next step." (Posted 6:58 a.m.)

54 dead, 262 wounded in Karbala fighting

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- At least 54 people were killed and 262 others wounded on Monday and Tuesday during fighting in the Iraqi city of Karbala, an Interior Ministry official said on Wednesday.

That fighting spurred a curfew and an evacuation order for Shiite pilgrims visiting the southern Iraqi city for a religious commemoration. (Posted 6:10 a.m.)

6 killed in northern Iraq shooting

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- At least five Iraqi policemen and a civilian were shot and killed on Wednesday in northern Iraq, police in Mosul told CNN.

Gunmen in two vehicles opened fire on a police checkpoint in Hammam al-Ali, southwest of Mosul, police said. -- From CNN's Jomana Karadsheh (Posted 5:58 a.m.)

U.S military releases Iranian delegation after brief detention in Iraq

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- U.S. soldiers released eight members of an Iranian delegation on Wednesday, a day after the group was arrested at a hotel in eastern Baghdad, the U.S. military and an Iraqi government spokesman said.

Yassin Majid, an aide to Iraq's prime minister, said the Iranians who were detained were employed by Tehran's power ministry and were invited by Iraqi government officials to the capital to sign an electricity supply contract. They were released Wednesday morning, he said.

The military said the delegation was released "to Iraqi officials" following "consultation with the government of Iraq."

According to Iran's ambassador in Baghdad, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, 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. (Posted 5:30 a.m.)

U.S. soldier dies fighting near Kirkuk

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- A U.S. soldier was killed Tuesday during combat operations in northern Iraq, a U.S. military statement released Wednesday said.

The soldier died near Kirkuk and was a member of the Army's Multi-National Corps - Iraq.

Since the war started, the U.S. military has lost 3,733 troops in Iraq. (Posted 5:30 a.m.)

Taliban militants free 3 South Korean hostages, 16 still in captivity

SEOUL (CNN) -- Taliban militants released three female South Korean hostages in Afghanistan after more than a month of captivity, the South Korean government said Wednesday.

The women, identified as Ahn Hye-jin, 31, Lee Jung-ran, 33, and 34-year-old Han Ji-young, were part of an original group of 23 Christian aid workers visiting the country to conduct mission work.

They were abducted July 19 from a bus by Taliban militants, who later executed two of the South Koreans and freed two others -- leaving 19 in captivity. (Posted 5:15 a.m.)

U.S military releases Iranian delegation after brief detention in Iraq

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- U.S. soldiers released members of an Iranian delegation on Wednesday, a day after the group was arrested at a hotel in eastern Baghdad, the U.S. military and an Iraqi government spokesman said.

Accounts of the release differed.

Yassin Majid, an aide to Iraq's prime minister, told CNN the military released six Iranians, while a U.S. military statement said the number was eight. The delegation was released "to Iraqi officials" following "consultation with the government of Iraq," the military said.

According to Iran's ambassador in Baghdad, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, 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.

Majid said the Iranians worked for Tehran's power ministry and were invited by Iraqi government officials to the capital to sign an electricity supply contract.(Posted 5:05 a.m.)

3 South Korean hostages released

SEOUL (CNN) -- Three female South Korean hostages held by the Taliban in Afghanistan have been released, the South Korean government said Wednesday. (Posted 4:45 a.m.)

Baghdad attacks kill 1, wound 10

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Mortars fell in an eastern Baghdad neighborhood early Wednesday, killing one person and wounding six others, an Interior Ministry official said.

The attack took place in the capital's New Baghdad section.

In western Baghdad, a car bomb detonated around midday behind the al-Karkh court in the Mansour district, wounding four people.(Posted 4:35 a.m.)

Curfew ordered for Karbala; City calm, but 'tense' after fighting

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Authorities in the Shiite holy city of Karbala imposed a curfew Wednesday after clashes between Shiite militias left more than 50 dead and hundreds wounded, an Interior Ministry spokesman said.

According to Gen. Abdul Karim Khalaf, all people, vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles and carts were banned from city streets, starting at 11 a.m. (3 a.m. ET). Anyone found out and about would be arrested, he said.

Hours earlier, Iraq's national security adviser, Mowaffaq al-Rubaie, said the Iraqi Army has taken control of the situation.

"The situation is quiet now, but nervous and tense," he said in a phone call from Karbala. "It's under control now and the Iraqi Army did a fantastic job." (Posted 4:30 a.m.)

Athens begins fire compensation payouts; winds calm

KRESTINA, Greece (CNN) -- The Greek government, stung by criticism of its handling of fires across the nation, moved Wednesday to pay reparations to those who have lost homes, crops and farm animals.

The payouts began as firefighters gained ground on dozens of fires that have scorched 444,790 acres (180,000 hectares) of the Greek countryside. The flames have displaced 16,000 people, damaged or destroyed 4,500 homes and killed 60,000 sheep and cattle, according to the EU Forest Fire Information System.

At least 63 people have lost their lives after six days of fires.

The government of Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis was to compensate at the rate of about $4,000 (3,000 euros) for the loss of a home and about $14,400 (10,000 euros) for the loss of a family member, a government official said. (Posted 3:45 a.m.)

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.) E-mail to a friend