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The CNN Wire: Thursday, Oct. 4

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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.

NATO soldier killed in southern Afghanistan, 2 wounded

(CNN) -- A NATO soldier was killed and two others were wounded in an explosion Thursday in southern Afghanistan, NATO's International Security Assistance Forces said.

The nationalities of the troops were not available, but Canadian, British, Dutch and U.S. forces typically operate in the southern regions. (Posted 2:35 a.m.)

U.S. coalition forces kill 25 insurgents in Baquba during targeted operation

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- U.S.-led coalition forces launched an airstrike west of Baquba Friday morning, killing about 25 insurgents after a "heavy firefight" with troops that involved assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, a U.S. military statement said.

The operation targeted a special groups commander with suspected links to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps - Quds Force. According to the U.S. military, he was "involved in the movement of various weapons from Iran to Baghdad."

The situation quickly escalated after forces received heavy gunfire from a group of armed men.

"Enemy fire intensified and supporting aircraft were called in an attempt to suppress the threat," the military said.

There was no immediate word on coalition casualties. (Posted 2:20 a.m.)

Officials: Housing Secretary Alphonso Jackson under investigation

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Housing Secretary Alphonso Jackson is being investigated by federal agents in connection with the hiring of a friend, who was paid about $400,000 as the construction manager of a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) project in New Orleans, two federal law enforcement sources said Thursday.

Jackson acknowledged the probe on the HUD Web site. "I intend to fully cooperate with any possible investigation, and to clear my name," Jackson said.

The FBI and Justice Department declined to comment.

The National Journal which first reported the probe identified Jackson's friend as Hilton Head Island, South Carolina contractor William Hairston.

The magazine's Web site said Hairston was granted a no-bid contract after Jackson asked an aide to pass along Hairston's name to the Housing Authority of New Orleans. (Posted 11:25 p.m.)

N.H. tax evaders taken into custody

(CNN) -- A pair of convicted tax evaders was taken into custody without incident Thursday evening after a five-month-long standoff with federal agents in New Hampshire, a federal law enforcement source with knowledge of the investigation told CNN.

Ed and Elaine Brown, who had refused to surrender to authorities to serve their prison sentences, were taken into custody by U.S. Marshals at about 8:00 p.m. The Browns had been holed up in their concrete-reinforced home in Plainfield, N.H.

They were convicted of evading $1.9 million in taxes -- a crime punishable by up to five years in prison. The Browns were sentenced in absentia on April 24, 2007.

Throughout the ordeal, the Browns insisted there was no valid law that requires them to pay income taxes. (Posted 10:55 p.m.)

Japanese satellite injected into lunar orbit

TOKYO (CNN) -- A Japanese satellite was injected into lunar orbit, a first for the nation and for Asia, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) confirmed Friday.

The satellite, known as SELENE and nicknamed "KAGUYA," was launched from Tanegashima Space Center on Sept. 14. It was injected into orbit on Thursday, JAXA said on its Web site. The mission consists of a main orbiting satellite at about 100 kilometers (62 miles) altitude and two smaller satellites, the site said. The orbiters will carry instruments for scientific investigation involving the moon.

Messages and signs were collected from more than 412,000 people to be aboard the satellite, JAXA said. (Posted 9:59 p.m.)

Another U.S. contractor hired former Blackwater employee involved in Iraqi security guard shooting

(CNN) -- The Blackwater security contractor who killed an Iraqi security guard on Christmas Eve 2006 was hired by another private contractor to work in the region less than two months after Blackwater fired him because of the incident.

Andrew J. Moonen returned to the United States within a few days of the incident, his attorney told CNN, but in February he returned to Kuwait, working for Defense Department contractor Combat Support Associates (CSA) until August, a company spokesman said.

Company spokesman Paul Gennaro said personnel policies prevent him from disclosing any other details of Moonen's employment with CSA. However, the company provides logistical support to the U.S. Army in Kuwait.

Because the State Department and Blackwater kept the incident quiet and out of Moonen's personnel records, CSA was unaware of the December incident when it hired Moonen.

According to Moonen's personnel record, the U.S. Army tried to call him back to service in April 2007, but canceled the order when they were notified he was overseas. Moonen had served in the Army's 82nd Airborne Division from April 2002 to April 2005 before joining the Blackwater firm. He served seven months in Iraq, from September 2003 until April 2004, with the rank of specialist. The only medals he received are standard for such a deployment. (Posted 9:48 p.m.)

U.N. envoy prepares to brief Security Council on Myanmar

UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- U.N. envoy Ibrahim Gambari will brief the U.N. Security Council on his recent visit to Myanmar in open session Friday, despite objections from the Chinese ambassador, who wanted the briefing held behind closed doors.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, briefed by Gambari Thursday, sent the envoy to Myanmar last week for meetings with the ruling military junta and opposition leaders in the wake of a series of peaceful demonstrations crushed violently by the military.

Myanmar state media reported that 2,000 people were detained during the demonstrations and the crackdown against them -- under an emergency law imposed on Sept. 25 banning assembly of more than five people -- and that 700 of those people have been released.

The official death toll from Myanmar's leadership is at 10, but there are reports that hundreds were killed and thousands arrested in the wake of the demonstrations, which were led by Myanmar's Buddhist monks.

Chinese Ambassador to the United Nations Wang Guangya also reiterated China's opposition to U.N. sanctions against Myanmar, also known as Burma. (Posted 8:43 p.m.)

U.S. soldier killed in Baghdad

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- A U.S. soldier was killed Thursday in a small arms fire attack in southern Baghdad, the U.S. military said in a statement.

Since the U.S. invasion in 2003, 3,810 U.S. servicemembers have been killed in Iraq. To date in 2007, 807 U.S. servicemembers have died in Iraq, two of them so far in October. In all of 2006, 822 U.S. servicemembers were killed. (Posted 8:41 p.m.)

Police release video of incident preceding woman's airport death

PHOENIX (CNN) -- Phoenix police on Thursday released a video showing officers arresting a 45-year-old New York woman for disorderly conduct at Phoenix's Sky Harbor Airport just before she died while handcuffed in a holding cell.

Authorities also released a more complete account of Carol Ann Gotbaum's arrest, detention and death Sept. 28. Police have said she apparently strangled herself as she tried to maneuver her way out of handcuffs that were secured behind her back.

Meanwhile, Gotbaum's husband, Noah, claimed his wife's body in Phoenix following an autopsy. The body was set to be returned New York Thursday night, according to Michael Manning, a Phoenix attorney retained by Gotbaum's family.

Police emphasized in a Wednesday statement they did attempt to calm an irate Gotbaum before arresting her and that they had no idea of her "personal issues," including that she was on her way to check into an alcohol treatment center. (Posted 8:03 p.m.)

Giuliani tops GOP front-runners in 3rd quarter money chase

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani edged out Republican rivals Fred Thompson and Mitt Romney in fund-raising for the Republican presidential primaries for the third quarter of 2007, according to figures released by their campaigns Thursday.

The Giuliani campaign told CNN it had raked in more than $11 million from July through September, with all but $500,000 of that for the primary races. Giuliani, who tops the 10-man GOP field in national polls, had $16 million left in the bank at the end of September, the campaign said.

That topped Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, who brought in $10 million during the quarter. In addition, Romney borrowed $8.5 million from his personal fortune for the campaign. His campaign was left with $9 million on hand at the end of the term.

And Thompson, who formally entered the race in September, raised $9.3 million during the third quarter -- up from the $8 million-plus a source in the former Tennessee senator and "Law and Order" star's campaign estimated Monday. (Posted 7:09 p.m.)

Domenici retiring from Senate due to degenerative brain disease

(CNN) -- Surrounded by cheering family members, staff and supporters, Republican Sen. Pete Domenici of New Mexico announced Thursday that he won't seek re-election next year because he suffers from a progressive, incurable brain condition that might prevent him from completing another six-year term.

Domenici, first elected to the Senate in 1972 and re-elected five times, said he has been suffering for the last two years from frontotemporal lobar degeneration, or FTLD, a deterioration of brain tissue that can lead to personality changes, difficulty with speech and dementia.

While the condition has had "very little impact" on him, Domenici, 75, said a check-up in September showed a "slight" progression of the condition. He said the "erratic, unpredictable" nature of the illness prompted his decision to retire.

However, the senator said he is still well enough to do his job and has "no doubts" he can finish out the rest of his current term, which ends in January 2009.

Domenici concluded his remarks with a call for more research into brain diseases. (Posted 7:08 p.m.)

Waxman warns of 'confrontation' with Rice over Iraq corruption

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Democrats' top investigator in Congress, Rep. Henry Waxman of California, warned Thursday of a "confrontation" with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice over how much Americans should be able to learn about corruption in Iraq.

The chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee accused Rice and the State Department of a cover-up of what he called "an epidemic of corruption," branding State Department anti-corruption efforts "dysfunctional, under-funded and a low priority."

Waxman further blasted the State Department for trying to keep secret details of corruption in Iraq, especially relating to Iraqi Prime Minister, Nuri al-Maliki.

Deputy Secretary of State Larry Butler ended up in the hearing's hot seat, repeatedly refusing to answer questions from Waxman about Iraqi corruption but offering full disclosure if his testimony would be kept secret.

But he was more forthcoming when talking about efforts al-Maliki has taken to improve matters, commending the prime minister for dispatching Iraqi army forces to surround a refinery to ensure its oil did not end up on the black market. (Posted 5:58 p.m.)

Mother of sex tape suspect: 'Shocked and saddened' at allegations

(CNN) -- The mother of a man sought in connection with the videotaped rape of a young girl said in a statement released to CNN Wednesday that she was "completely devastated" by what she had heard and read about her son.

"My family and I have been completely devastated by what we are reading and hearing about Chet," the mother of Chester Arthur Stiles said in the statement. "I have not seen him in over three years and can only be shocked and saddened by what he has done and what he is accused of doing.

"This is the most difficult time of my life and that of my family," Stiles' mother said. "I can only ask that the media and the public not make this time worse, and respect my privacy and the privacy of those who are close to me."

Stiles, 37, is sought in connection with a four-year-old videotape that shows a small girl being sexually assaulted. The girl, who is now 7, was found last week after a nationwide search. An attorney for her mother said the girl is safe and healthy, and that the rape occurred before the girl's third birthday, while she was in the care of a baby-sitter hired by her mother. The mother did not know the girl had been victimized, the attorney said.

Stiles, a resident of Pahrump, Nev., is also sought by the FBI in a separate matter involving state charges of sexual assault and lewdness with a minor under the age of 14. (Posted 5:52 p.m.)

Former Blackwater contractor at center of controversy identified

From CNN's Justine Redman

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Blackwater security contractor who killed an Iraqi security guard on Christmas Eve 2006 has been identified as 27-year-old former paratrooper Andrew James Moonen of Seattle, Wash. He is under investigation by the federal Justice Department, the department said.

Moonen is at the center of the controversy over whether American contractors working in Iraq and other war zones can be held criminally accountable under U.S. law.

Moonen's case was discussed at length at a hearing on Capitol Hill this week, during which State Department officials conceded that the Justice Department was still trying to determine whether they had jurisdiction to prosecute Moonen.

Moonen could not be reached for comment, but his lawyer in Seattle said that since Moonen's return to the United States, he has not been asked to provide any new information to investigators. He was once asked to contact State Department investigators in Iraq, which the lawyer says he did. (Posted 5:50 p.m.)

Labor Department: Proceedings of mine incident investigations not typically made public

(CNN) -- Proceedings in an investigation into the accident at Utah's Crandall Canyon mine should not be made public, as they typically are not open to public access, and opening them would inhibit the amount and quality of information received, attorneys for the Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration said in court documents filed Thursday.

The documents included MSHA's response to a lawsuit filed in federal court in Utah earlier this week by a coalition of news organizations, including CNN, the Associated Press, the Salt Lake Tribune and the Deseret Morning News. The suit seeks to stop the investigation into the Crandall Canyon incident until a judge can decide whether the proceedings should be open to the public, and asks for a temporary restraining order to stop investigators "from conducting any more closed proceedings in this matter, and to the extent closed proceedings have occurred, require an immediate release of the transcript of all such proceedings."

On Aug. 6, a cave-in of the mine trapped six miners. On Aug. 16, three other people, including an MSHA inspector, died as they attempted to reach the trapped miners, whose bodies have never been recovered.

The lawsuit notes that the same court, after a similar accident 20 years ago, ruled that MSHA had to make its proceedings public. (Posted 5:21 p.m.)

Craig says he's staying in Senate, exploring legal options

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Idaho Sen. Larry Craig said Thursday he will remain in the Senate and study "additional legal options" after a judge refused to throw out his August guilty plea stemming from a sex sting in a Minneapolis airport restroom.

Craig's lawyer, Billy Martin, said the three-term Republican has not yet decided whether to appeal Thursday's ruling by Hennepin County District Judge Charles Porter. And in a statement from his office, Craig said he was "extremely disappointed" in the decision.

Craig has said it was a mistake to plead guilty to the misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge, which carried a $500 fine. But in a sharply worded, 27-page decision, Porter found that Craig had "voluntarily and intelligently" admitted to the allegations leveled against him after his June arrest.

Craig was arrested in June by Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport police, who accused him of making sexual overtures in an airport men's room to an undercover police officer. The 62-year-old senator is married and has aligned himself with conservative groups that oppose gay rights, and he has denied he is a homosexual. (Posted 5:01 p.m.)

Sources: Top aide to Karl Rove leaving White House

From CNN White House Correspondents Ed Henry and Suzanne Malveaux

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Scott Jennings, the top aide to President Bush's former political adviser, Karl Rove, will leave the White House Friday, senior administration sources told CNN Thursday.

Jennings, 29, the White House's deputy director of political affairs, is a long-time Rove ally who was expected to leave after Rove resigned in August. Sources close to Jennings said he has told colleagues he is considering a public relations position in Kentucky.

While not a household name, Jennings was a key political operative who was entrenched in several ongoing congressional investigations, including the controversial firings of nine U.S. attorneys and missing White House e-mails. Back in August, he was grilled by the Senate Judiciary Committee as part of its probe into whether the White House had politicized the Justice Department. (Posted 5 p.m.)

Video of Jena 6 reenactment causes outrage on college campus

(CNN) -- A videotape of five youths in blackface reenacting an incident involving the so-called "Jena 6" sparked outrage on a Louisiana college campus, although the student involved insists the video was not making fun of the six African-American youths arrested in the beating of a white classmate.

More than 500 people packed a forum held Tuesday night at the University of Louisiana-Monroe in response to the video, a university statement said. "The majority ... decided not to let the actions of a few define the entire student body."

It was unclear when the video was made, but ULM student Kristy Smith told The Monroe News-Star she filmed it on the banks of the Red River in Alexandria, La., and posted it on her Facebook page. The page has since been made private, but the video was posted on YouTube and The Smoking Gun.

University spokeswoman Laura Harris told CNN Thursday that Smith and another participant in the video were ULM students. Smith, a freshman, was the only one whose name has been made public.

Harris said Thursday school administrators are reviewing the incident for possible disciplinary action, which would come from ULM's Office of Judicial Affairs. (Posted 4:59 p.m.)

Craig says he's staying in Senate, exploring legal options

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Idaho Sen. Larry Craig says he will remain in the Senate and study "additional legal options" after a Minnesota judge refused to allow him to withdraw his August guilty plea stemming from an airport sex sting. (Posted 4:02 p.m.)

Last workers leave South African gold mine

CARLETONVILLE, South Africa (CNN) -- The last of 3,200 gold miners trapped by a power failure reached the surface late Thursday after nearly two days underground, witnesses reported.

The workers were stuck in the cavernous Elandstrand New Mine when a large compressed air pipe fell down a shaft about 6 a.m. Wednesday (midnight Tuesday ET).

The accident knocked out power and disabled elevators in the mine, which is built like an underground city complete with trains, trucks and cars.

No one was killed or injured during the ordeal. (Posted 3:28 p.m.)

Federal officials grade themselves on port security

From CNN Producer Mike M. Ahlers

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Given the chance to grade themselves on how well they are protecting the nation's ports, federal officials Thursday gave the government grades of "B" and "B-plus."

But the senator who asked the question said she was apt to give them a "C" or "incomplete."

The self-grading exercise came in the middle of a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on port security, during which a Transportation Security Administration official announced they would begin issuing IDs for port workers next week.

Beginning Wednesday, some 5,000 port workers in Wilmington, Delaware, will begin applying for the card, and the government hopes to issue credentials to one million port workers and mariners in the next year. (Posted 3:07 p.m.)

Iraqi premier squelched corruption probes, former official says

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has protected relatives and political allies from corruption probes amid a climate of worsening graft that has cost the country billions of dollars, a former Iraqi government watchdog told Congress on Thursday.

Corruption has affected "virtually every agency and ministry, including some of the most powerful officials in Iraq," said Judge Radhi Hamza al-Radhi, the former head of the Iraqi Commission on Public Integrity.

Al-Radhi said corruption has seeped into the oil sector -- the nation's largest source of income -- and has "stopped the process of reconstruction in Iraq." He estimated the total lost to corruption at $18 billion.

Widespread payoffs and threats of retribution have not only contributed to the failure of the government of Iraq to control the militias that control parts of the government, but it has helped fund the Iraqi military and police and the sectarian militias themselves, he said.

Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh acknowledged that Iraq is plagued with a "high level" of corruption. But he said that the government is trying to rein in the problem. (Posted 2:53 p.m.)

House votes to bring military contractors under U.S. law

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Despite Bush administration opposition, the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly Thursday to bring private military contractors overseas firmly under U.S. law.

The 389-30 vote followed a warning from the White House that the measure would have "unintended and intolerable consequences" for national security. But its sponsor, Rep. David Price, D-N.C., said the bill would hold contractors "working in our name and on our dime" accountable for misconduct.

The bill would put contractors working for the U.S. government overseas under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act, which allows American courts to prosecute crimes committed overseas in war zones. But Rep. Randy Forbes, R-Va., said the bill could interfere with intelligence-gathering and expose "clandestine assets" to prosecutions that could expose ongoing operations.

Thursday's vote comes as Congress takes a closer look at the government's use of private security contractors like Blackwater USA. Blackwater chairman Erik Prince told a House committee Tuesday that the company supports Price's bill. (Posted 2:52 p.m.)

Judge won't let Craig withdraw guilty plea

(CNN) -- A Minnesota judge on Thursday denied Sen. Larry Craig's request to withdraw his guilty plea stemming from an airport bathroom sex sting, finding the Idaho Republican had "voluntarily and intelligently" admitted to the misdemeanor charge.

In a sharply worded, 27-page order, Hennepin County District Judge Charles Porter found Craig had freely given his plea after extensive discussions with prosecutors and after waiving his right to a lawyer.

There was no immediate response from Craig, who has postponed his announced plan to resign from the Senate while he seeks to withdraw his plea.

Craig was arrested in June by Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport police, who accused him of making sexual overtures in an airport men's room to an undercover police officer. He pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in August, entering his plea by mail. (Posted 2:50 p.m.)

Investigating officer recommends lesser charges for Marine at center of Haditha incident

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Pentagon said Thursday the investigating officer in the Haditha case has recommended Sgt. Frank Wuterich, the Marine at the center of the case, not be tried for murder.

The recommendation is he face trial for lesser charges of negligent homicide.

A military judge at Camp Pendleton will make the final decision. But if this recommendation is accepted, it means no one in the Haditha case will be tried for murder. The case involved allegations that Marines killed up to two dozen Iraqi civilians in the town of Haditha in November 2005.

-- From CNN's Jamie McIntyre (Posted 2:49 p.m.)

Two guards shot dead in armored car robbery, One suspect sought

From CNN's Joann Rizzo

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Two guards are dead and one is wounded following a brazen daylight robbery Thursday of their armored car near a Wachovia Bank branch in Northeastern Philadelphia, police said. Police are searching for a lone gunman wearing all black with a yellow cap who fled the scene in a black sedan with tinted windows and a sunroof.

According to Philadelphia Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson, the shooter, identified as a black male, opened fire on one of the guards as they were servicing an ATM outside the bank branch near the Roosevelt Mall shortly after 8 a.m.

The guard was pronounced dead at 8:15 a.m. After gunning down the first guard, the shooter went around the vehicle and shot the other guard who died from his wounds about an hour later, police said.

The third guard, who was inside the vehicle, was injured by shattered glass from a bullet that hit one of the windows of the armored car, according to Mark Clark, a spokesman for Loomis, the armored car service that owns the vehicle.

Police say they found a black duffel bag behind an off track betting parlor near the scene of the crime that may have been taken from the armored car after the shooting. (Posted 1:17 p.m.)

WH, Justice deny report a secret memo approved torture after it was renounced

From Justice Producer Terry Frieden

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The White House and Justice Department Thursday strongly denied a published report that a secret Justice Department opinion in 2005 allowed the torture of terror detainees months after the government publicly renounced the use of torture in prisoner interrogations as "abhorrent".

White House Press Secretary Dana Perino confirmed the existence of a previously undisclosed February 5, 2005 memo by the Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel which addressed "specific applications" of the earlier memo. But Perino insisted the classified document did not undercut or reverse the public December 2004 memo, which rejected the use of torture.

"U.S. policy is not to torture--and we do not," Perino told reporters.

"Regardless of where we are, we do not torture anybody but getting information from them is critically important to protecting this country," she said.

Justice Department Director of Public Affairs Brian Roehrkasse issued a statement declaring the December 2004 anti-torture memo "remains binding on the Executive Branch". (Posted 12:56 p.m.)

Iraq to purchase weapons, equipment from China

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Iraq has entered into a "substantial" deal with China to purchase weapons and light military equipment for its police forces, because the Asian nation promised the fastest delivery, an Iraqi Ministry of Information spokesman said Thursday.

Brig. Gen. Abdul Kareem Khalaf told CNN he was unable to confirm that his country was spending $100 million for the items, a number reported in Thursday's editions of The New York Times, which quoted Iraqi President Jalal Talabani.

Khalaf said there have been delivery delays from other countries, including the United States, and adequately arming police forces is a priority in Iraq's goal to provide its own security. In the United States, there are several layers of review before military equipment sales are approved.

Khalaf said the deal was made last June during a visit to China by Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Minister of Interior Jawad al-Bolani, whose department is in charge of policing and border control. (Posted 12:55 p.m.)

Bhutto shies away from joining anti-Musharraf boycott but says her opposition lawmakers 'will not be voting for him'

LONDON (CNN) -- Benazir Bhutto's opposition party will not join a boycott against Saturday's vote that is expected to give Gen. Pervez Musharraf a third term as Pakistan's president, but the self-exiled opposition leader said, "We will not be voting for him."

The resignations of at least 85 Pakistani opposition lawmakers are not expected to affect Saturday's vote by parliament and four provincial assemblies.

But the boycott will highlight the opposition's demand that Musharraf abandon his position as Pakistan's military chief before seeking another five-year term as president.

"We believe that if we had voted for a uniformed president, we would be legitimizing (the elections)," Bhutto said Thursday at a news conference following a meeting of her Pakistan People's Party (PPP) in London.

"We are unable to vote for General Musharraf and he understands this because the PPP stands for democracy and democracy means a distinction between civilian and military.

"And since General Musharraf continues to be chief of army staff, we will not be voting for him. But we will not be resigning." (Posted 11:56 a.m.)

State Dept.: FBI to take reins of Blackwater investigation

From CNN's Elise Labott

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The FBI has assumed the lead from the State Department on the investigation into last month's Baghdad shootings involving contractors from the U.S. security firm Blackwater, the State Department said Thursday.

The State Department had been internally discussing the possiblility of the FBI taking the lead for "some time," and the transition "made sense" with the arrival in Iraq of the FBI team from Washington, spokesman Sean McCormack said.

The State Department's Diplomatic Security Service would be "working closely" with the FBI agents, McCormack said.

McCormack emphasized that the decision to put the FBI in the lead was "not pointing in any particular direction based on what we found so far," but that the State Department "had to make a decision and plan for any eventuality."

"If the investigation takes a certain turn, any findings that need to be forwarded to the Department of Justice" would put the FBI in the lead, McCormack said. (Posted 11:54 a.m.)

Source: Racially-charged incident at high school for the deaf was a 'war game' that 'went too far'

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A racially-charged weekend incident at a high school for the deaf -- now being investigated by police as a possible hate crime -- was a "war game that went too far," a source close the investigation told CNN's Kyra Phillips Thursday.

The incident, which took place Sunday at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf, involved a black student who was held against his will and then released with "KKK" and swastikas drawn on him in marker, according to D.C. Metro Police Chief Cathy Lanier.

Because of the race of the victim and the symbols drawn on him, police were looking at the incident as possibly two racial groups attacking each other.

But the source said, instead, the incident was not an attack but a game that got out of hand when students used poor judgment. (Posted 11:36 a.m.)

Insurgents target 2 Iraqis in separate roadside bomb attacks; 1 survives

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Insurgents Thursday targeted two high-profile Iraqis -- including a leader of a key U.S. ally in fighting al Qaeda -- in separate roadside bombing attacks, killing one and critically wounding the other, Iraqi officials said.

A roadside bomb targeting Abbas Hamza Asal al-Khafaji, the mayor of Iskandariya, killed him and four of his escorts in a targeted attack south of Baghdad, a Babil provincial official told CNN.

The attack happened in Iskandariya, located about 25 miles (40 km) south of Baghdad.

Earlier in the day, Muawiya Jebara, a senior member of the Salaheddin Awakening Council, was critically wounded in a similar assassination attempt outside Samarra, the province's deputy governor Abdullah Jebara said. The roadside bombing killed three of Muawiya Jebara's bodyguards, he said. (Posted 11:35 a.m.)

Two guards shot dead in armored car robbery, 2 suspects sought

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Two guards are dead and one is wounded following a brazen daylight robbery Thursday of their armored car near a Wachovia Bank branch in Northeastern Philadelphia, police said.

Two suspects are on the loose.

According to Philadelphia Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson, the shooter, identified as a black male, opened fire on one of the guards as they were servicing an ATM outside the bank branch near the Roosevelt Mall shortly after 8 a.m. (Posted 11:34 a.m.)

New Jersey uses new Internet tracking technology to nab dozens in child porn sweep

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Using new technology that allows police to track the transmission of child porn images over the Internet, New Jersey State police said Thursday they had arrested and charged "dozens" of people.

Attorney General Anne Milgram and police are expected to hold a news conference in Trenton Thursday where they will discuss the new tracking technology, show mug shots, as well as the Myspace, and Facebook pages of those arrested.

Authorities described the images as "some of the worst child molestation images on the internet." (Posted 10:31 a.m.)

At least 30 dead in Congolese plane crash

(CNN) -- At least 30 people were killed Thursday after an Antonov-26 plane crashed in a poor, heavily populated suburb of Kinshasa shortly after take-off, according to a Congolese Ministry of Information official.

All 22 on board the plane -- 16 passengers and six crew -- were killed, as well as up to eight people on the ground, according to Jean-Pierre Eale, an aide to the Democratic Republic of Congo's information minister.

The Russian-made Antonov-26 crashed into at least one house near a crowded marketplace in the country's capital, Kinshasa, Congolese officials told CNN.

It took off from Kinshasa International Airport, also known as N'Djili International Airport, around 10:40 a.m. (5:40 a.m. ET) en route to Tshikapa in the southern part of the country near the Angolan border, Eale and other Congolese officials told CNN. (Posted 9:48 a.m.)

South Korean leader optimistic after summit in North Korea

SEOUL, South Korea (CNN) -- South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun was optimistic Thursday about relations with North Korea after returning from a summit in Pyongyang where he and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il signed an eight-point peace agreement.

The leaders pledged to work toward forging a permanent peace treaty between their nations, which ended their 1950-53 war with a temporary armistice. The Koreas have remained technically at war for 54 years, after the armistice was signed July 27, 1953.

"South and North Korea agree on (the) need to end the current armistice and establish permanent peace," the fourth point of the agreement says. In addition, the two sides will push "for a declaration of the ending of the Korean War in cooperation with neighboring nations."

"If there is nuclear disarmament, and if the peace treaty moves forward, I believe that the cold war era will end and there will really be reunification and peace between the two countries," Roh (prono: NO) said in a speech to government officials that was nationally televised. (Posted 9:46 a.m.)

Insurgents target 2 Iraqis in separate roadside bomb attacks; 1 survives

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Insurgents Thursday targeted two high-profile Iraqis -- including a the leader of a key U.S. ally in fighting al Qaeda -- in separate roadside bombing attacks, killing one and critically wounding the other, Iraqi officials said.

A roadside bomb targeting Abbas Hamza Asal al-Khafaji, the mayor of Iskandariya, killed him and four of his escorts in a targeted attack south of Baghdad, a Babil provincial official told CNN.

The attack happened in Iskandariya, located about 25 miles (40 km) south of Baghdad.

Earlier in the day, Mu'awiya Jbara, the head of the Salaheddin Awakening Council, was critically wounded in a similar assassination attempt outside Samarra, the province's deputy governor said. The roadside bombing killed three of his bodyguards, the deputy governor said. (Posted 9:28 a.m.)

Congo official: At least 30 dead in Kinshasa plane crash

(CNN) -- At least 30 people were killed Thursday after an Antonov-26 plane crashed in a crowded area shortly after taking off from Kinshasa, the capital of Democratic Republic of Congo, according to a Congolese Ministry of Information official.

All 22 on board the plane -- 16 passengers and six crew -- were killed, as well as up to eight people on the ground, according to the aide to Information Minister Jean-Pierre Eale.

-- From CNN's Ben Blake in London (Posted 9:27 p.m.)

Plane crashes in Kinshasa, no word on casualties

(CNN) -- A plane carrying at least 17 people crashed Thursday near a crowded marketplace in a heavily populated suburb of the Democratic Republic of Congo's capital, Kinshasa, Congolese officials told CNN.

There was no word on casualties.

Congo's Humanitarian Affairs Minister Jean Claude Muyambo told CNN the neighborhood of Masina where the crash took place is poor and crowded. He identified the plane as a Russian-made Antonov-26.

The plane had just taken off from Kinshasa and was heading to Tshikapa in the southern part of the country near the Angolan border, a Congolese transportation official told CNN.

The aircraft -- owned by "Air Sam" and leased by a company named "Malila" -- went down around 11 a.m. (6 a.m. ET) about a kilometer outside the runway and crashed into a small house near an open market, Rashid Patel said. (Posted 8:38 a.m.)

More than 2,000 South African miners surface after more than a day underground

CARLETONVILLE, South Africa (CNN) -- More than 2,000 workers from a South African gold mine had returned to the surface by midday Thursday after power to the mine was restored, following an accident that kept them underground for more than 24 hours, the company operating the mine told CNN.

"I'm happy now because we are out and we are alive," said Granny Makau, one of the miners who was trapped inside Elandstrand New Mine, north of Johannesburg. "No one died so we are happy."

The workers were trapped in the cavernous mine -- which is built like an underground city complete with trains, trucks and cars -- when the power source was knocked out, disabling the elevators leading to the surface at about 6 a.m. Wednesday (midnight Tuesday ET), South Africa's ambassador to the United States, Welile Nhlapo told CNN. (Posted 7:05 a.m.)_

Bombing attacks kill 7 across Baghdad

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Bombings across Baghdad Thursday killed seven people and wounded 29 others, according to an Iraqi Interior Ministry official.

One roadside bomb targeted a U.S. convoy in the northeastern region of Hay Ur, injuring six Iraqi civilians, the official said. The convoy escaped unharmed.

In other attacks in Baghdad:

-- A roadside bomb killed one Iraqi and wounded four others in the northern Waziriya neighborhood;

-- A car bomb near a gas station killed two and wounded 11 in the eastern Baghdad neighborhood of Camp Sara;

-- A car bomb in the southeastern Zafaraniya neighborhood killed four and wounded eight. (Posted 7:04 a.m.)

Suspected al Qaeda financier and military leader detained

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Iraqi forces, working with U.S. Special Forces, detained two suspected al Qaeda in Iraq militants -- a financier and a military leader -- near Baghdad on Tuesday, a statement released by the U.S. military on Thursday said.

During an operation in Kindi, the forces apprehended the financier, who is believed to operate a network of terrorist financing cells across the country.

"The extremist financier is suspected of traveling to foreign countries to acquire financial support for terrorist activities and is suspected of supplying more than $50,000 to al Qaeda each month," the military said.

"He is believed to have received $100,000,000 this summer from terrorist supporters who cross the Iraq border illegally or fly into Iraq from Italy, Syria and Egypt." (Posted 3:45 a.m.)

Korean leaders sign 8-point agreement, pledge to work toward peace

SEOUL, South Korea (CNN) -- North and South Korea on Thursday agreed to begin work on a peace plan that would officially put an end to the Korean War.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun signed an eight-point agreement in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, pledging to replace the cease-fire accord signed at the end of the Korean War.

"South and North Korea agree on (the) need to end the current armistice and establish permanent peace," the fourth point of the agreement says. In addition, the two sides will push "for a declaration of the ending of the Korean War in cooperation with neighboring nations."

The nations have remained technically at war for 54 years, after the armistice that was signed on July 27, 1953. (Posted 1:59 a.m.) E-mail to a friend E-mail to a friend

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