The CNN Wire: Sunday, Sep. 23

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.

Missing Italian soldiers freed in western Afghanistan

ROME (CNN) -- Two Italian soldiers who were kidnapped in western Afghanistan over the weekend, were freed in an operation by NATO's International Security Assistance Force early Monday, Italy's defense minister said.

According to Arturo Parisi, the military operation took place in Farah province. The soldiers were kidnapped Saturday night in the Herat region. Parisi said both of the soldiers were wounded -- one severely. (Posted 2:45 a.m.)

Search begins when scout troop goes missing in N.C. mountains

(CNN) -- Eleven members of a Boy Scout troop did not emerge from a camping area in the mountains of western North Carolina as scheduled Sunday evening, prompting an overnight search effort, local authorities said.

The eight scouts and three adult leaders from Raleigh, North Carolina's Troop 217 were on a weekend campout in the Black Balsam Gap area near the Blue Ridge Parkway in southern Haywood County, according to Haywood County sheriff's dispatcher Michael Huffman. Their vehicles were still in the parking lot at the entrance to the campground Sunday evening, leading authorities to suspect the scouts simply camped out for another night, Huffman said.

Search teams were organized late Sunday night after their families in Raleigh did not hear from them after they were supposed to have begun the five-hour drive home, Huffman said. Several parents were driving from Raleigh to the camping area overnight, he said.

The area, located in the Pisgah National Forest, is mountainous and heavily wooded, with popular hiking trails running through it. (Posted 2:43 a.m.)

GM: UAW sets Monday strike deadline unless new contract is reached

(CNN) -- The United Auto Workers union has set a strike deadline of 11 a.m. ET Monday in its talks with General Motors, a GM representative told CNN.

"Our understanding is there would either be an agreement or there would be a strike," said GM's Katie McBride, who said the automaker is fully committed to working with the UAW. "Talks are ongoing at this hour and they are expected to continue until 11 a.m. Monday." She said there is a chance the discussion could be extended beyond the deadline. UAW sources also confirmed the strike deadline.

A long strike by the nearly 73,000 UAW members still working at GM could cripple efforts of automaker to stem nearly three years of losses in its North American auto operations. While experts said they believe it would be able to weather a short strike, there was concern that once a strike started, an agreement could become more difficult to reach. (Posted 12:05 a.m.)

GM: UAW sets Monday strike deadline

(CNN) -- The United Auto Workers union has set a strike deadline of 11 a.m. Monday in its talks with General Motors, a GM representative told CNN.

"Our understanding is there would either be an agreement or there would be a strike," said GM's Katie McBride. (Posted 11:48 p.m.)

Tropical Storm Jerry forms in the Atlantic

MIAMI (CNN) -- Tropical Storm Jerry formed in the middle of North Atlantic late Sunday, but was no immediate threat to land, the National Hurricane Center reported.

At 11 p.m. ET, Jerry was located about 1,045 miles (1,680 km) west of the Azores, moving to the north at about 8 mph (13 km/h).

According to the NHC, the track of the storm with its 40 mph (65 km/h) winds is expected to shift to the northeast and pick up its forward motion over the next 24 hours. (Posted 11:10 a.m.)

Brzezinski likens U.S. moves on Iran to pre-war moves on Iraq

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Former National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski on Sunday likened saber-rattling by U.S. officials about Iran to similar bellicose statements by U.S. officials that preceded the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq more than four years ago.

"I think the administration, the president and the vice president particularly, are trying to hype the atmosphere, and that is reminiscent of what preceded the war in Iraq," Brzezinski told CNN's "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer."

In Oct. 2002, five months before Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was toppled for his alleged pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, President Bush said, "Facing clear evidence of peril, we cannot wait for the final proof -- the smoking gun -- that could come in the form of a mushroom cloud." No evidence was found that Iraq was then pursuing such weapons. (Posted: 7:07 p.m.)

Ahmadinejad's planned Columbia speech stirs ire

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Politicians, pupils and pundits Sunday sparred about whether Columbia University should have offered to host a lecture Monday by Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who arrived in New York to address this week's U.N. General Assembly.

"If I were a president of the university, I would not have invited him," said Sen. Hillary Clinton, the junior senator from New York, who is leading the pack of challengers seeking the Democratic presidential nomination. "He's a Holocaust denier. He's a supporter of terrorism. But I also respect the right in our country to make different decisions."

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich called the invitation "an outrage against civilization." Gingrich, who is weighing a possible run for the GOP presidential nomination, called Ahmadinejad "a pathological liar" and "a very effective public speaker," and said Columbia was "very foolish" to give him a platform.

But Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., who has announced he will not run for re-election, defended the decision. "I think we are a country that welcomes people from all over the world," he told reporters. "We have major differences and problems with Iran. But I don't think that helps find some consensus and work through some of these issues when you don't allow people to speak. That's not who we are as Americans." (Posted: 7:05 p.m.)

Clinton says she won't back Iraq funds without withdrawal plan

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton said Sunday she won't vote for any more money to support the 4-year-old war in Iraq without a plan to start bringing American troops home.

"I've reached the conclusion that the best way to support our troops is begin bringing them home," the New York senator and former first lady told CNN's "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer." "I don't believe we should continue to vote for funding that has an open-ended commitment, that has no pressure on the Iraqi government to make the tough political decisions they have to make, or which really gives any urgency to the Bush administration's diplomatic efforts."

Clinton's declaration comes as the Senate debates the Defense Department's 2008 spending authorization bill. It follows her vote against a $120 billion war-spending bill in May, when Congress dropped a call for the withdrawal of American combat troops by March 2008 after President Bush vetoed a bill containing that provision. (Posted: 6:17 p.m.)

2 Italian soldiers missing in Afghanistan

ROME (CNN) -- Two Italian soldiers are missing in western Afghanistan, the Italian Defense Ministry said Sunday. In a written statement, the ministry said the soldiers had not been heard from for several hours after they were last seen in the Herat region. Their families have been notified, the statement said.

The last known contact with the soldiers, part of NATO's International Security Assistance Force, took place Saturday night, the ministry said. Italian officials were working with military officials and local police to find them, the ministry said. (Posted 3:06 p.m.)

Iraqi official: Criminal charges coming against Blackwater guards

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- The Iraqi government will file criminal charges against employees of the American security firm Blackwater who are blamed for a gun battle a week ago in western Baghdad that killed Iraqi civilians, an Iraqi Interior Ministry official said Sunday. The official said the charges will come within a week.

Another official with the Interior Ministry told CNN the Iraqi government has photographs and video from the incident that backs up Iraq's position about what happened. The photos and video were taken by Iraqi national police who were near the incident, the official said.

U.S. government officials have not commented. It is not clear how Iraqi courts will attempt to bring the contractors to trial. The Iraqi government has no authority over private security firms contracted by the U.S. government, according to a July report from the Congressional Research Service. (Posted 2:45 p.m.)

More than 250 bodies found in Baghdad this month

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Nineteen bodies were found by Iraqi police in Baghdad over the weekend, an Interior Ministry official told CNN Sunday. The total number of bodies reported to be found in the capital this month is 251. (Posted 2:39 p.m.)

Brzezinski likens U.S. moves on Iran to pre-war moves on Iraq

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Former National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski on Sunday likened saber rattling by U.S. officials about Iran over its alleged nuclear ambitions to similar bellicose statements by U.S. officials that preceded the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq more than four years ago.

"I think the administration, the president and the vice president particularly, are trying to hype the atmosphere, and that is reminiscent of what preceded the war in Iraq," Brzezinski told CNN's "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer."

In Oct. 2002, five months before Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was toppled for his alleged pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, President Bush said, "Facing clear evidence of peril, we cannot wait for the final proof -- the smoking gun -- that could come in the form of a mushroom cloud." No evidence was found that Iraq was then pursuing such weapons. (Posted 2:31 p.m.)

Survey: Gas prices drop 2 cents

(CNN) -- Gas prices fell 2 cents over the past two weeks, to a national average of $2.79 per gallon of self-serve regular, according to a survey published Sunday. But drivers should expect that direction to reverse course soon, said Trilby Lundberg, publisher of the Lundberg Survey, which tallies prices at about 5,000 stations every two or three weeks.

The modest drop in prices between the survey dates of Sept. 7 and Sept. 21 "is only a blip in the price climb," she said. That's because, on a per-gallon basis, the price of crude rose nearly 12 cents per gallon during the two-week period. "High crude oil prices have replaced refinery problems as the big gasoline price-change factor," she said. (Posted 2:04 p.m.)

Israel says it will release about 90 Palestinian prisoners

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israel announced Sunday it will release about 90 Palestinian prisoners in the coming week. A committee on prisoner releases decided to free "approximately 90 Palestinian prisoners without blood on their hands and who are not affiliated with either Hamas or Islamic Jihad," the prime minister's office said in a statement.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad have carried out numerous terrorist attacks against Israel and are listed by Israel and the United States as terrorist organizations. About 30 of the prisoners are from Gaza, while the rest are from the West Bank, the statement said. (Posted 1:46 p.m.)

NYT public editor slams his own paper over MoveOn ad

(CNN) -- The New York Times' public editor Sunday became the latest public figure to slam the paper over a controversial ad by MoveOn.org that criticized Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. general in Iraq. Clark Hoyt, who analyzes the paper's coverage as the "readers' representative," wrote, "I think the ad violated The Times's own written standards, and the paper now says that the advertiser got a price break it was not entitled to."

The column noted that the executive who approved the ad did not view it as a personal attack, and that former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a leading Republican presidential candidate, was given the same price for a response ad he placed days later. (Posted 12:49 p.m.)

Iran grants visa to family of missing American

(CNN) -- Tehran announced Sunday that it will allow the family of Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent who disappeared while on a business trip to Iran in March, to travel to Iran. His whereabouts are not known and the Iranian government has said it has no knowledge of his fate. Levinson was last seen on Iran's Kish Island.

The announcement came shortly after the missing man's wife, Christine Levinson, wrote to the Iran's foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, seeking permission for his family to travel to Iran. (Posted 12:05 p.m.)

NATO soldier killed in Afghanistan

(CNN) -- A soldier with NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was killed Sunday in Afghanistan, an ISAF spokesman said. No further details were immediately available.

ISAF does not announce the nationalities of those killed or wounded, leaving that to the home governments of the individual soldiers. (Posted 11 a.m.)

Israel says it launched jets after Syrian aircraft disappeared from radar

JERUSELAM (CNN) -- The Israeli military launched several jets Saturday after a Syrian plane dropped off the military's radar screen, Israeli military sources told CNN Sunday.

The aircraft did not cross the Israeli border, and military sources said it later crashed.

There was no immediate word from the Syrian government. Saturday was the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement. The holiday is the most sacred and important in the Jewish religion. (Posted 10:48 a.m.)

Iraqi official: Criminal charges coming this week against Blackwater guards

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- The Iraqi government will file criminal charges against employees of the American security firm Blackwater who are blamed for a gun battle a week ago in western Baghdad that killed Iraqi civilians, an Iraqi Interior Ministry official said Sunday. It is not clear how Iraqi courts will attempt to bring the contractors to trial.

The Iraqi government has no authority over private security firms contracted by the U.S. government, according to a July report from the Congressional Research Service.

The Iraqi government says as many as 20 civilians were killed by gunfire from private contractors employed by Blackwater who were guarding a U.S. diplomatic convoy last weekend. (Posted 8:23 a.m.)

Famed French mime Marcel Marceau dies at the age of 84

PARIS (CNN) -- Famed French mime Marcel Marceau died Saturday at the age of 84, the office of French Prime Minister Francois Fillon confirmed Sunday.

Born March 22, 1923, Marcel Mangel -- he took the name Marceau later -- began his career during World War II after discovering pantomime through theater classes.

He grew to be one of France's most famous exports, sometimes more appreciated for his art outside of his home country than in it.

Marceau opened a school of mime in Paris in 1978.

"It's hard," he told an interviewer once of pantomime. "Because you have to be an actor at the same time. It's not enough just to do the motion. You can be very physical, you can be acrobatic, and still not an actor.

"So I think a mime is a silent actor," Marceau explained. (Posted 6:11 a.m.)

Famed French mime Marcel Marceau dies at the age of 84

PARIS (CNN) -- Famed French mime Marcel Marceau died Saturday at the age of 84, French media reported Sunday. (Posted 5:44 a.m.)

Florida Democrats will hold Jan. 29 primary

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Florida Democratic Party will hold its presidential primary on Jan. 29, despite being told by the Democratic National Committee that doing so will result in the state losing its 210 delegates to the 2008 nominating convention in Denver, a Florida Democratic official told CNN.

State party officials have scheduled a news conference for Sunday to make the announcement, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. In addition to losing all of its delegates, the decision also means that most of the Democratic presidential candidates will no longer campaign in Florida. The candidates have agreed not to stump for votes in any state that does not follow the DNC's nominating calendar.

Earlier this year, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist signed legislation into law that moved the state's primary to Jan. 29, even though it violated rules established by the DNC to keep all but four states -- Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina -- from holding nominating contests before Feb. 5. The Republican National Committee has similar rules, but the penalty is less severe for states that violate them.

Last month, Florida Democrats asked the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee to recognize Jan. 29 as its primary date, a request that was rejected outright. The DNC panel then gave the Florida Democratic Party a month to submit an alternative date or risk losing all of its delegates. (Posted 11:18 p.m.) E-mail to a friend