The CNN Wire: Wednesday, Dec. 5

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.

Mine explosion in China kills at least 46, traps at least 50 more

BEIJING (CNN) -- A powerful gas explosion at coal mine in northern China's Shanxi province killed at least 46 people and left at least 50 others trapped, local safety officials said, according to China's Xinhua news agency.

According to Xinhua, the accident took place in the village of Zuomu, near Linfen.

Mine disasters are common in China. There were nearly 2,000 coal mining accidents through October of this year alone, which left more than 3,000 people dead, according to earlier reports published by Xinhua. Some 6,300 died in mining accidents in 2003.

In early November, a few dozen coal miners were killed in a gas leak in a coal mine in southwest China's Guizhou province. And in August, heavy rains poured into a coal mine in east China's Shandong province, trapping more than 170 miners beneath the surface, Xinhua reported. (Posted 1:25 a.m.)

Mine explosion traps at least 50 in China

BEIJING (CNN) -- At least 50 people were trapped Thursday after an explosion at a coal mine in northern China's Shanxi province, local safety officials said, according to China's Xinhua news agency.

According to Xinhua, the accident took place in the village of Zuomu.

Mine disasters in China are common. There have been nearly 2,000 coal mining accidents through October of this year alone, which have left more than 3,000 people dead, according to earlier reports published by Xinhua.

In early November, a few dozen coal miners were killed in a gas leak in a coal mine in southwest China's Guizhou province. And in August, heavy rains poured into a coal mine in east China's Shandong province, trapping more than 170 miners beneath the surface, Xinhua reported. (Posted 12:50 a.m.)

Teenager shoots 8 in Omaha mall before killing self

OMAHA, Neb. (CNN) -- A teenager armed with an assault rifle opened fire inside an Omaha, Neb., department store Wednesday, killing eight people and wounding five others, two critically, before turning the gun on himself, authorities said. In a suicide note left for family and friends, he predicted that the shootings would make him famous.

The shootings at the Von Maur store at the popular Westroads Mall sent panicked holiday shoppers fleeing for cover.

"I looked at my mom and said, 'We need to get out of here. Those are gunshots,'" Jennifer Kramer told CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360." "I just grabbed my mom and we ran to the back of the men's department and hid in some pants racks."

Police identified the gunman as Robert A. Hawkins, 19. While the shootings appeared random, Omaha Police Chief Thomas Warren said the incident itself appeared premeditated, as Hawkins left the suicide note provided to authorities. He refused to divulge the contents of the note. (Posted 11:25 p.m.)

Witnesses describe chaos, terrifying moments inside mall

OMAHA, Neb. (CNN) -- Dodging bullets was the last thing on their minds during a busy shopping day less than three weeks before Christmas.

Yet hundreds of shoppers and employees at the popular Westroads Mall in Omaha, Nebraska, were forced to hide or run for their lives as a gunman opened fire inside the crowded shopping center.

"I was standing around getting ready to go back to work and all of a sudden I heard this bang, bang, bang -- it sounded like someone shooting fireworks. I knew enough to know that wasn't fireworks," a mall employee told CNN affiliate KETV.

"I ran to get away from whatever was happening."

Witnesses described dozens of shots fired, most from the Von Maur store area. (Posted 11:10 p.m.)

Coast Guard: Record year for drug seizures

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday it has seized 355,000 pounds of cocaine worth an estimated $4.7 billion in 2007 -- making it a record year for drug seizures.

The year's haul was a 2 percent increase over 2006, Guard officials told CNN.

Included in that total was what the Coast Guard called its largest cocaine bust ever -- 42,845 pounds stacked in large bundles on the deck of a freighter off the coast of Panama.

The year also saw the capture of two submarine-shaped semi-submersible vessels, one near Costa Rica carrying a crew of four and 3.5 tons of cocaine. Several semi-submersibles were also found the previous year.

Coast Guard officials said such tactics are a sign of their success in thwarting traditional means of smuggling drugs into the country.

But some experts say the large seizures demonstrate that production of narcotics in South America is increasing. (Posted 9:40 p.m.)

Rice urges cease-fire in Somalia, warns against new border war

(CNN) -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged Somalia's government to reach a cease-fire with its "non-extremist" opposition and finish plans to draft a new constitution, she said after a Wednesday meeting with African leaders in Ethiopia.

Rice's visit to Addis Ababa came as Ethiopian troops are mired in a nearly year-long insurgency in Somalia, where its army is supporting the country's U.N.-backed transitional government. She also urged Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi to take "concrete steps" to avoid a renewed war with neighboring Eritrea over a long-simmering border dispute.

Somali government and Ethiopian troops are battling insurgents led by the Islamic Courts Union, which controlled much of the country before being deposed by Ethiopia's December 2006 invasion. Recent fighting has sent an estimated 200,000 people fleeing the capital Mogadishu, where a government shakeup saw Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Gedi replaced last month by Nur Hassan Hussein, a former Red Crescent official.

The United States accuses the ICU of harboring suspected al Qaeda figures and did not protest the Ethiopian invasion. At the same time, U.S. and NATO warships are patrolling the waters off Somalia to keep an eye out for suspected terrorists and crack down on the hijackings of merchant ships by Somali pirates. (Posted 8:40 p.m.)

Chavez denies military pressured him to accept referendum defeat

CARACAS, Venezuela (CNN) -- President Hugo Chavez put Venezuela on notice Wednesday he would continue to push for sweeping constitutional changes -- and denied that he had only bowed to voters' rejection of the changes after prodding by the military.

Voters shot down the referendum, which would have opened the door for Chavez to hold onto power indefinitely and moved the country toward institutionalized socialism, by a margin of 51 percent to 49 percent, according to official results.

In contrast to the conciliatory tone he took in announcing the victory of the "No" forces early Monday, he heaped scorn on the opposition's "Pyrrhic" victory Wednesday, saying that "they're now filling it with sh--."

Chavez and his minister of defense, Gustavo Rangel Briceno, both rejected media reports that the long delays in announcing the referendum results ended only after sectors of the military pressured Chavez to accept the defeat of his hand-crafted proposals. (Posted 8:26 p.m.)

Polygamist sect leader files motion asking for new trial

(CNN) -- Polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs requested a new trial Tuesday, with defense attorneys claiming "errors and improprieties" occurred in the September trial that ended with his conviction on charges of being an accomplice to rape.

The motion, filed in the same court where Jeffs was convicted and sentenced to 10 years to life in prison, was an expected move from defense attorney Wally Bugden. At Jeffs' sentencing before Judge James Shumate last month, Budgen said he intended to appeal.

The Tuesday motion said, "errors and improprieties occurred during the trial which substantially affected the defendant's rights to fair trial and due process." It does not elaborate, but Bugden previously has said Jeffs was being persecuted for his religious beliefs, including practicing plural marriage as the way to heaven.

Jeffs, 51, is leader and "prophet" of the 10,000-member Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which openly practices polygamy in two towns straddling the Arizona-Utah state line. He was accused of using his religious influence over his followers to coerce a 14-year-old girl into marrying her 19-year-old cousin.

The girl, Elissa Wall, now 21, testified at Jeffs' trial that she repeatedly told him she did not want to be married and that she was uncomfortable with sexual advances from her husband, Allen Steed. Jeffs, she said, told her to pray and submit to her husband, but warned her she risked losing her "eternal salvation" unless she learned to love Steed and bear his children. (Posted 8:15 p.m.)

Bush told in August that Iran's weapons program 'may be suspended'

From CNN White House Correspondent Ed Henry

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush was told in August that Iran's nuclear weapons program "may be suspended," but his intelligence chief said analysts needed to review new information before making a final judgment, the White House said Wednesday.

Adm. Mike McConnell, the director of national intelligence, told Bush that the new information might cause intelligence officials to change their assessment of the Iranian program, but more time was needed to evaluate the data, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino revealed late Wednesday.

The new account from Perino seems to contradict the president's version of his August conversation with McConnell and raised new questions about why Bush continued to warn the American public about a threat from Iran two months after being told a new assessment was in the works.

But Perino told CNN there was no conflict between her statement and the Bush's Tuesday account of the meeting, when he said McConnell "didn't tell me what the information was." Nor did Bush mislead Americans in October, when he warned of a third world war triggered by Iran's development of nuclear technology, she said. (Posted 8:13 p.m.)

9 dead in Omaha mall shooting

OMAHA, Neb. (CNN) -- Nine people were killed and five were wounded, three critically, Wednesday in a shooting at an Omaha shopping mall, police said.

The person believed to be the gunman was among the dead, of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to police spokeswoman Sgt. Teresa Negron. The shooter was believed to have acted alone, she said.

A law enforcement source identified the gunman as Robert A. Hawkins.

Another law enforcement official, who asked not to be identified because of the ongoing investigation, told CNN the gunman was believed to be about 19 or 20, and that a suicide note was found at his home by the suspect's mother, saying something about wanting to "go out in style."

The shootings began about 1:42 p.m. (2:42 p.m. ET) at the Von Maur department store in the Westroads Mall. (Posted 8:08 p.m.)

Intelligence community makes an about-face on Iran -- why the reversal?

From National Security Producer Pam Benson

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- What led the U.S. intelligence community to dramatically reverse course this week about Iran's nuclear weapons program, going from "high confidence" two years ago that the Islamic Republic was working toward nuclear weapons to a new assessment -- also with "high confidence" -- that Iran stopped its weapons program in 2003?

One senior intelligence official said there was no "single strand of anything" that produced the change in the assessment. Another senior official said there was no "wow, we have it" moment, that it was a "continuous stream" of information that led analysts to go back and "scrub" old information.

New information came from a variety of areas, including human sources, intercepted communications and materials openly available to the public, according to other government officials familiar with the National Intelligence Assessment on Iran. One official cited a 2005 press tour of Iran's Natanz centrifuge facility.

One government official said there was also more rigorous analysis. The analysts worked "hand in hand" with spies and had a much better idea about the sources of the information than they did about the sources of a now-discredited 2002 National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.

That hastily prepared NIE -- used to justify the March 2003 invasion -- concluded Iraq had active weapons of mass destruction programs, but no evidence of such programs has been discovered. One senior intelligence official said the current analytical process was "much more robust" following the 2002 experience. (Posted 8:06 p.m.)

Lott adds brother-in-laws indictment to list of things that are not reasons he is retiring

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Retiring Sen. Trent Lott said Wednesday his sudden departure from Capitol Hill after 35 years has nothing to do with the bribery indictment of his brother-in-law, famed trial lawyer Richard "Dickie" Scruggs, which was handed down two days after Lott said he would leave the Senate.

"I had no idea it was coming," said Lott.

In an interview just off the Senate floor, Lott, who was just re-elected to a fourth term but who will leave it five years early, said rumors are swirling about why he's leaving.

"Those are the same people who said Trent Lott must have health problem. No, he's got a sex problem. No, he's got a financial problem. Oh no, it's connected to his brother-in-law," Lott said. "None of the above." (Posted 5:38 p.m.)

Oregon, Washington reel from back-to-back storms

(CNN) -- Much of the Pacific Northwest remained water-logged Wednesday, as thousands struggled without access to power and major highways due to flooding and mudslides.

Three people were killed in Washington as a result of the pair of storms that hit the Northwest Sunday and Monday, and two were killed in Oregon, the state's emergency operations centers said Wednesday.

The governors of Washington and Oregon have declared states of emergency, hoping to speed relief efforts after the storms pushed water levels up to 25 feet in some areas. Both said they intend to ask for federal disaster declarations.

"We're turning our attention now first to the human needs and then to our infrastructure needs," Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire said. "We have to open up our interstate highway so our commerce can get engaged again." (Posted 5:30 p.m.)

9 dead in Omaha mall shooting

(CNN) -- Nine people were killed and five were wounded, three critically, Wednesday in a shooting at an Omaha, Neb., shopping mall, police said.

The person believed to be the gunman was among the dead, of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to police spokeswoman Sgt. Teresa Negron. The shooter was believed to have acted alone, she said.

The shootings began about 1:42 p.m. (2:42 p.m. ET) at the Von Maur department store in the Westroads Mall. Negron said the gunman had a rifle, but could not give specifics. She said it was not yet known whether the gunman addressed anyone before opening fire, as police were still interviewing witnesses.

Seven people died at the scene, and two -- a male and a female -- died after reaching Creighton University Medical Center, according to hospital officials and Fire Chief Robert Dahlquist. Two others -- a male and a female -- were in surgery in critical condition, one at the Creighton hospital and one at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, hospital representatives said. (Posted 5:27 p.m.)

Justices again block scheduled execution

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Supreme Court late Wednesday blocked the scheduled execution of an Alabama man convicted in a 1982 murder for hire. The justices, however, refused again to issue a blanket moratorium on the use of lethal injection, a major constitutional question that will be addressed in a separate case next month.

The stay for Thomas Arthur came a day before he was to die. His lawyers claimed the three-drug cocktail used in lethal injection executions would have amounted to cruel and unusual punishment.

Except for Texas, every other state has postponed executions until a high court ruling is issued next year over whether the deadly chemical mixture used nationwide by corrections officials is cruel and unusual punishment.

Wednesday's order offered no hints as to whether the justices are prepared to delay all pending executions while they prepare for a pair of Kentucky appeals on the question. But many states and federal courts may take this latest stay as an implied signal to delay the procedure. --From CNN Supreme Court Producer Bill Mears (Posted 5:21 p.m.)

9 dead in Omaha mall shooting

(CNN) -- Nine people were killed and five were wounded Wednesday in a shooting at an Omaha, Neb., shopping mall, police said.

The person believed to be the gunman was among the dead, apparently from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. (Posted 5:10 p.m.)

2 dead in Omaha mall shooting

(CNN) -- Two people were killed and a number of others were injured Wednesday in a shooting at an Omaha, Neb., shopping mall, according to Creighton University Medical Center.

The dead were a male and a female, the hospital said. Another female was in critical condition.

Other injured people were taken to the University of Nebraska Medical Center. A hospital spokeswoman said earlier one patient had been received and two more were expected. (Posted 4:58 p.m.)

Report: 1 dead in Omaha mall shooting

(CNN) -- One person was killed and a number of others were injured Wednesday in a shooting at an Omaha, Neb., shopping mall, according to CNN affiliate KMTV.

At least five people were being treated at hospitals, according to Assistant Fire Chief Mike McConnell.

The shooting took place about 1:50 p.m. (2:50 p.m. ET) at a Von Maur store inside the popular Westroads Mall, according to authorities and store officials. The store was locked down after the incident.

Shoppers and employees were seen walking out of the building with their hands up. Witnesses described hiding in clothes racks and dressing rooms after hearing the shots.

"We heard about 35, 40 shots, and on our way our we did see someone down by the escalator, bleeding," shopper Jennifer Cramer told affiliate KETV. (Posted 4:45 p.m.)

Administration sources say deal near on freezing subprime mortgage rates

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Bush administration is close to an agreement to freeze rates for homeowners who face a possibly sharp increase in mortgages interest rates, administration sources said Wednesday.

The officials said the plan would freeze rates for subprime mortgages for qualified borrowers for five years. They cautioned that representatives of the mortgage industry have yet to agree to the deal, but they are cautiously optimistic they will sign off on it as well.

Almost 2 million subprime mortgages are set to reset to higher rates in the next year and a half, according to a source, but the plan will not address all people affected.

The rates would be frozen if borrowers meet certain criteria, including being current on payments, being able to prove they cannot afford a higher rate, and showing they have no other financing options. Others would be fast-tracked into new mortgages that they can afford, sources familiar with the deal said. --From Ed Henry and Jessica Yellin (Posted 4:45 p.m.)

Report: 1 dead in Omaha mall shooting

(CNN) -- One person was killed and a number of others were injured Wednesday in a shooting at an Omaha, Neb., shopping mall, according to CNN affiliate KMTV. (Posted 4:37 p.m.)

Police seek person who fired shots in Omaha mall; at least 5 people wounded

(CNN) -- Police were trying to find the source of shots fired Wednesday at the popular Westroads Mall in Omaha, Neb. Assistant Fire Chief Mike McConnell said five people were being treated at hospitals.

The shooting took place at a Von Maur store inside the shopping complex, according to authorities and store officials. The store was locked down after the incident.

Paramedics were at the scene. At least two people were seen being taken from the shopping complex on stretchers and placed in an ambulance.

Shoppers and employees were seen walking out of the building with their hands up. Witnesses described hiding in clothes racks and dressing rooms after hearing the shots.

"We heard about 35, 40 shots, and on our way our we did see someone down by the escalator, bleeding," shopper Jennifer Cramer told affiliate KETV. (Posted 4:28 p.m.)

North Korea moving toward dismantling key nuclear facility

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- North Korea is rushing toward an end-of-year deadline to disable a key nuclear facility that produced materials to make nuclear bombs, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill said Wednesday.

He said the disabling is going well at three sections of the Yongbyon complex: the fuel fabrication facility, the reactor and the reprocessing center. The goal is to disable it by the end of the year so North Korea can't easily make nuclear bombs, according to a transcript of Hill's comments to reporters in Beijing.

One potential hurdle is a declaration spelling out what North Korea has been hiding.

North Korea is required -- under a deal made in February -- to hand over a list of all its nuclear facilities, materials and programs by December 31. But the United States and North Korea cannot agree on what items need to be on the list. --From State Department Correspondent Zain Verjee and Producer Charley Keyes (Posted 4:25 p.m.)

Huckabee's role in rapist's parole comes under fresh scrutiny

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Having broken into the first tier of Republican presidential candidates, Mike Huckabee is facing fresh scrutiny over his role in the decision to parole a convicted rapist in 1999. Huckabee, during his first term as Arkansas governor, sent a letter to Wayne DuMond expressing support for his parole. Huckabee on Sunday confirmed to CNN that he had sent the letter.

DuMond was serving a life sentence for raping a 17-year-old girl. The Arkansas parole board had the final say on DuMond's parole. Less than a year after his release from prison in 1999, DuMond was accused of raping and murdering a woman in Kansas City, Missouri, a crime he was eventually convicted of in 2003. He died in prison in 2005.

Huckabee has repeatedly said he wished he had had more information about DuMond before supporting his release and recently told CNN there was no indication DuMond remained a threat. He has said it was actions by two previous Arkansas governors -- Jim Guy Tucker and Bill Clinton -- that made DuMond eligible for parole.

But new documents posted on the Web site The Huffington Post indicate Huckabee had received letters from several victims of DuMond's before his release. The letters detailed DuMond's past actions and pleaded that he remain incarcerated. (Posted 4:08 p.m.)

Police search for gunman in shooting at Omaha mall

(CNN) -- Police were trying to find the source of shots fired Wednesday at the popular Westroads Mall in Omaha, Neb. Assistant Fire Chief Mike McConnell said five people were being treated at hospitals.

The Nebraska State Patrol said the shooting appeared to take place at the Von Maur store inside the shopping complex, which was locked down.

Paramedics were at the scene. At least two people were seen being taken from the shopping complex on stretchers and placed in an ambulance.

Shoppers and employees were seen walking out of the building with their hands up.

A woman who works at the mall said she saw a woman shot, and added that the shots seemed to be coming from inside the Von Maur store, on an upper level. (Posted 3:53 p.m.)

Pentagon shelves plan to shift Marines to Afghanistan, commandant says

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Pentagon has shelved a plan to shift U.S. Marine combat units from Iraq to Afghanistan, a move the Marine Corps' commandant said Wednesday would be more in line with his service's traditional role.

After discussions with Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the chiefs of the other armed services, Gen. James Conway told reporters, "The timing is not right to provide additional Marine forces to Afghanistan."

"The discussion with the secretary was very positive," he said. "He understood completely where we were coming from and why. He's heard the anecdotal reports that lance corporals are complaining they don't have anyone to shoot, God love 'em, but that doesn't drive strategic thinking."

Conway's plan would have allowed Marines to have two months at home for rest and training for every month now spent in the war zones, compared to their current schedule of seven months overseas and seven months at home. And he said the mission in Afghanistan, where U.S. and NATO troops are battling a resurgent Taliban, "is one that matches our strengths and our capabilities." (Posted 3:27 p.m.)

Mahony tells fellow priests he was attacked

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- Cardinal Roger Mahony, leader of the Los Angeles Archdiocese, told a gathering of priests he was injured in a summer attack by assailants irate over the sexual abuse scandal engulfing the Roman Catholic Church, a priest who attended the October 1 meeting said Wednesday.

The Rev. Joseph Shea, a pastor at Holy Family Catholic Church in Glendale, Calif., said priests were surprised at Mahony's revelation. Shea said Mahony was discussing clergy abuse cases and the resulting vitriol that has been directed at many priests.

During his address, Mahony said the assault happened on a late July evening at his mailbox. He said an attacker hit him in the head, knocked him to the ground, kicked him multiple times and shouted obscenities about clergy abuse of children.

Shea said Mahony told priests he did not fight back, and suspects there was more than one attacker. Los Angeles Archdiocese spokeswoman Carolina Guevara declined Wednesday to address specifics of the October gathering. (Posted 3:25 p.m.)

German police: Mother chief suspect in killings of 5 children

(CNN) -- Police in Darry in northern Germany found the bodies of five children Wednesday, and a spokesman said their 31-year-old mother is the prime suspect in the slayings.

The children were between 3 and 9 years old. Police said the mother appears to suffer from a mental illness, and was taken to a mental health facility.

Police wouldn't release more information, pending their investigation.

In another German case, police in Plauen near the Czech border have a woman in custody after the remains of three of her children were found in her apartment. --From CNN's Frederik Pleitgen (Posted 3:14 p.m.)

Supreme Court again weighs rights of Guantanamo detainees

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Supreme Court appeared divided along familiar ideological lines Wednesday after considering the constitutional rights of more than 300 suspected terrorists and foreign fighters held by the U.S. military at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Many of the detainees are challenging their years-long detention, contending they are entitled to petition for the writ of habeas corpus, in which a government must justify a prisoner's custody.

Several justices expressed concern that some of the prisoners could be held indefinitely by the government without charges or legal representation.

At issue are the rights of the detainees to contest their imprisonment and the rules set up to try them. A law passed last fall would limit court jurisdiction to hear such challenges. The high court has twice ruled against the government's authority to hold people it labels "enemy combatants." --From Supreme Court Producer Bill Mears (Posted 2:30 p.m.)

Justice study expresses 'alarm' over sharp increase in methadone-related deaths

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Justice Department Wednesday released a report citing an "alarming trend" in the theft, abuse, and misuse of methadone, which it blames for an increase of nearly 400 percent in methadone-related deaths over a six-year period.

The study shows that methadone-related deaths nationwide jumped from 786 in 1999 to 3,849 in 2004.

By contrast, during the same period deaths related to cocaine -- one of the opiates in which methadone is used for treatment and pain management --increased 43 percent from 3,822 to 5,461.

The National Drug Intelligence Center, an arm of the Department of Justice, says it published the assessment because of its concern over the sharp increases stemming from the diversion and abuse of methadone. --From Justice Producer Terry Frieden (Posted 1:36 p.m.)

Saudis may supply more oil on sly

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Despite OPEC's rather surprise decision Wednesday to not raise production in the face of $100 oil, experts say one big oil heavyweight will likely slip more crude to an energy-thirsty world.

"The Saudis have made it perfectly clear they are going to seep more oil to the market," said Edward Morse, chief energy economist at Lehman Brothers. "The only question is, by how much."

Other analysts agreed with Morse.

"You've got to draw a distinction between what the Saudis do at meetings and what they do behind closed doors," said Leo Drollas, chief economist at the London-based Center for Global Energy Studies.

In fact, the Saudis have already been feeding the market more oil on the sly. After producing 8.6 million barrels a day for most of 2006, the Saudis pumped 8.7 million barrels a day in September and 8.8 million in October, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. OPEC's last official production increase wasn't slated to take effect until November. --From CNNMoney.com's Steve Hargreaves (Posted 1:24 p.m.)

U.N. secretary-general urges Lebanese presidency impasse to be 'resolved without further delay'

UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he is "extremely concerned" about the delay in electing a new Lebanese president, a hiatus that has gone "well past the constitutional timeframe."

"It is now time for this matter to be resolved without further delay," the secretary-general said in a statement issued on Wednesday.

Ban has spoken to Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Majority Leader Saad Hariri about the matter and plans to "remain in close touch" with the country's leaders, the statement said.

The inability of Lebanon's parties to settle on a candidate arises from a power struggle between pro-Western parties and parties like Hezbollah that have the support of Syria. (Posted 1:21 p.m.)

Bristol-Myers Squibb to cut workforce 10 percent

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The drugmaker Bristol-Myers Squibb said Wednesday it will cut 10 percent of its workforce to save $1.5 billion by 2010.

The New Jersey-based company did not specify how many jobs would be lost, but in an annual report one year ago Bristol said it had 43,000 employees. Because of the job cuts, Bristol said it would have to pay a pre-tax charge of $900 million to $1.1 billion.

The job cuts didn't come as a surprise. Analysts and investors had been waiting for this announcement since July, when Bristol-Myers Squibb hinted at "work force reductions" during its second-quarter earnings announcement.

And just Tuesday, Bristol said it was closing a packaging plant in Panama, at the expense of about 100 jobs. --By CNNMoney.com's Aaron Smith (Posted 12:53 p.m.)

Cuban dissidents say security agents broke into church to make arrests

HAVANA -- Cuban state security agents followed anti-government protesters into a Catholic Church on Tuesday, detaining about a dozen dissidents after hitting and kicking some of them, according to opposition activists and the local priest.

Some 25 dissidents marched peacefully to a church in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba to request a Mass for a dissident who was arrested earlier in the week, according to Elizardo Sanchez, a leading dissident based in Havana.

He said they were attacked by state security officers when they arrived at the church and many of them ran inside.

"The repressors, headed by a lieutenant colonel and other state security officers, desecrated the church of Santa Teresita after kicking open one of the doors and savagely attacking the peaceful dissidents," he said in a written statement.

The Cuban government did not immediately respond to the accusations. It considers the splintered dissident groups "mercenaries" who receive money from the "enemy government" in Washington to undermine the Cuban revolution. (Posted 12:43 p.m.)

Spanish Civil Guard shot in head over weekend by ETA is dead

MADRID (CNN) -- A member of the Spanish Civil Guard who had been in a coma since being shot in the head Saturday -- allegedly by members of the Basque separatist group ETA -- died Wednesday, shortly after French police arrested a man and a woman suspected of taking part in the attack, which also killed his Civil Guard partner, a Spanish Interior Ministry spokeswoman told CNN.

"It's probable that the two people arrested carried out the attack," Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said at a news conference in Naples, where he was attending a Spanish-Italian summit meeting. Zapatero thanked French authorities for moving quickly to make the arrests.

But the Interior Ministry spokeswoman said investigators so far have determined only that the two suspects "are members of ETA, and are presumably implicated in the attack but were not necessarily those who did the shooting."

Fernando Trapero, 23, died Wednesday in hospital in Bayonne, France, where he was taken Saturday after being shot in nearby Capbreton. He and his partner, Raul Centeno -- both in plainclothes and unarmed during an anti-ETA operation in conjunction with French police -- were surprised and shot by ETA, the spokeswoman said. --From CNN Madrid Bureau Chief Al Goodman (Posted 12:20 p.m.)

New deal to coordinate State Department's private security in Iraq

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The United States on Wednesday is taking another step to change how its diplomatic convoys are protected in Iraq.

Senior officials of the State and Defense departments will sign an agreement in Washington to improve how U.S. Embassy officials coordinate their convoys with the U.S. military, according to a State Department official.

This is the latest in a series of steps taken by the State Department since a September 16 shooting in which private contractors, from Blackwater USA, fired on Iraqi civilians, killing at least 17.

Blackwater says the shootings were justified after the convoy was attacked, a claim the Iraqi government disputes. The FBI investigation continues and a grand jury has been convened in Washington. --From CNN State Department Correspondent Zain Verjee and Producer Charley Keyes (Posted 12:15 p.m.)

Many young GOP voters undecided, poll shows

(CNN) -- With less than a month until the first votes are cast in the presidential campaign, the Republican race is wide open for young voters, a survey shows.

Among young Republicans, more call themselves undecided than support any single candidate. Among young adults who say they are Democrats, just 13 percent are still undecided, according to the survey.

The national poll by Harvard University's Institute of Politics questioned about 2,500 18- to 24-year-olds between October 28 and November 9.

Among decided GOP voters, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani leads the pack, while Illinois Sen. Barack Obama is the top pick for Democrats, the survey shows. (Posted 11:48 a.m.)

Israeli forces, Palestinian police clash in Bethlehem; 1 dead

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- An Israeli undercover military force clashed with Palestinian police Wednesday in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Israeli and Palestinian sources said.

Palestinian security sources said one Palestinian policeman was killed in the firefight, sparked when undercover Israeli forces entered Bethlehem without stopping at a security checkpoint.

The Israeli military said its forces were "on operational duty ... to carry out arrests" in Bethlehem when they were fired upon by armed men.

"The IDF force returned fire towards the armed men and identified that one was hit," Israel Defense Forces said in a written statement. "It turned out that the armed men were Palestinian police. The IDF offered medical aid to those that were hurt. The incident will be investigated by the Central Command." (Posted 11:11 a.m.)

Greece, Macedonia to restart negotiations over name dispute

ATHENS (CNN) -- Taking a fresh crack at a festering dispute, Greece and Macedonia agreed Wednesday to hold a new round of talks to end a bizarre controversy that threatens to undercut Macedonia's chances of joining NATO.

The agreement, brokered by U.N. special envoy Ambassador Matthew Nimetz, offered fresh momentum to stalled negotiations over Greece's objection to the use of the name Macedonia for the former Yugoslav republic of 2 million people.

"Stability and cooperation in the region is extremely important," Nimetz said after an hour-long meeting with Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis. "This is not an issue that cannot be resolved. It cries out for a solution."

The U.N. envoy, undertaking his third attempt to mediate a solution since Macedonia gained independence 16 years ago, said the new round of talks would be held in Macedonian capital of Skopje next month. --From Journalist Anthee Carassava (Posted 11:10 a.m.)

Suspected Taylor gunman charged as adult, held without bond

MIAMI (CNN) -- The teenage suspect accused of firing the fatal shot that killed NFL star Sean Taylor will be held without bond, Circuit Judge John Thornton Jr. ordered Wednesday.

Eric Rivera Jr., 17, was indicted as an adult Tuesday by a Miami-Dade grand jury on charges of first degree felony murder and burglary with assault or battery with a firearm.

The indictment says Rivera had a gun during the alleged burglary, and "during the course of the commission of the offense ... discharged a firearm and as a result of the discharge, death or great bodily harm was inflicted upon Sean Maurice Taylor."

The three other suspects, Venjah K. Hunte, 20, Jason Scott Mitchell, 19, and Charles Kendrick Lee Wardlow, 18, are expected to appear Wednesday before Circuit Judge Dennis Murphy to face the same charges. Prosecutors said all four suspects could be arraigned in the same hearing. (Posted 10:45 a.m.)

Gas tanker erupts, scores evacuated outside Boston

(CNN) -- At least 200 people were evacuated from their homes, including 84 residents of an apartment building for the elderly, after a tanker truck carrying 9,000 gallons of gasoline erupted early Wednesday in a northern Boston suburb.

No serious injuries were reported in the Everett, Mass., blast, but witnesses recounted close calls to a local television station. One man said he narrowly escaped from his car before it exploded.

"In consideration of everything that firefighters had to deal with, I think it's a miracle that we haven't seen some serious injuries," Everett Fire Chief David Butler said.

The tanker overturned and caught fire at a traffic circle in the town of about 37,000. Officials are investigating whether the driver was speeding, Butler said.

Flames from the truck engulfed at least 40 cars and three buildings, two of them houses, fire officials said. (Posted 10:42 a.m.)

Judge accuses American suspect in Italian slaying of 'fatal capacity for aggression'

ROME (CNN) -- A panel of judges in Italy said an American student held in connection with the killing of Meredith Kercher should stay in police custody because evidence suggested she had "fatal capacity for aggression," Italian media reported Wednesday.

A court ruled last week that Amanda Knox, 20, and her Italian boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, 23, must remain in jail after lawyers for the pair appealed for their release.

Massimo Ricciarelli, president of the panel of three judges that gave last Friday's ruling, published the reasons for his decision Wednesday, Luca Maori, a lawyer for Sollecito confirmed to CNN.

In his ruling, Ricciarelli said Knox's detention was justified because evidence showed she has multiple personalities and there is a real danger of her re-offending, according to the Italian daily newspaper, Corriere della Sera, which published transcripts of the ruling on its Web site. (Posted 10:30 a.m.)

Gates, citing decline in violence, says secure Iraq 'within reach'

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Citing a "dramatic" decline in violence and gains in security throughout Iraq, Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Wednesday said the goal of stability in the war-torn country is "within reach," but at the same time he cautioned patience.

Gates, who met with U.S. and Iraqi officials in Mosul and Baghdad, briefed reporters in the Iraqi capital. During his stay there was a series of deadly car bombs and a report of three U.S. soldiers killed in fighting on Tuesday.

But the secretary outlined the signs of progress that have been reported by the military in recent months, strides attributed in part to the U.S. military troop escalation called the "surge."

He said there's been "a decline in violence to levels not seen" since the bombing of the Askariya Mosque in Samarra in February 2006. That event sparked a wave of Sunni-Shiite sectarian violence. (posted 10:23 a.m.)

15 killed, 32 wounded in Baghdad car bomb

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- A car bomb exploded on a busy commercial street in Baghdad, killing 15 people and wounding 32, an Interior Ministry official said.

The bomb went off in the Karrada district around 6:45 p.m., an official said.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates was holding a press conference during his visit to the capital at that time. -- From CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq (Posted 10:20 a.m.)

FDNY anti-terror plans spark fears of witch hunts

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A plan for New York firefighters to share anti-terrorism information with Homeland Security officials has drawn criticism from Islamic Americans and even some firefighters who fear the program may violate constitutional protections.

The Fire Department of New York has a particular interest in spotting terrorists. The city remains a potential target six years after the Sept. 11 attacks that killed 343 of its firefighters at the World Trade Center.

Officials with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security are establishing protocols for sharing threat information with first responders, and for handling information from firefighters. And they want to train firefighters to look for indications of terrorist activity.

Firefighters and fire inspectors are uniquely positioned to identify terrorists because, unlike police, they can enter homes and businesses without search warrants, officials say. --From Jeanne Meserve and Mike M. Ahlers (Posted 10:18 a.m.)

Bush urges Iran to 'come clean' about nuclear program

OMAHA, Neb. (CNN) -- President Bush on Wednesday urged Iran to "come clean with the international community" about its past nuclear weapons program, outlined in a recent U.S. intelligence report.

"The Iranian government has more to explain about its nuclear intentions and past actions, especially the covert nuclear weapons program pursued into the fall of 2003 which the Iranian regime has yet to acknowledge," Bush said. (Posted 10:11 a.m.)

Three U.S. soldiers killed in northern Iraq attack

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Three U.S. soldiers were killed and one was wounded Tuesday in "a complex attack" while they were conducting operations in Salaheddin province, the military said.

The soldiers were assigned to Multi-National Division-North, the military said. The attack was "involving an explosive device and small arms fire."

Two of the soldiers were killed at the scene. Two others were injured and were taken to a coalition medical facility for treatment. One of the injured died on Wednesday.

Since the start of the war in Iraq, the U.S. military has lost 3,886 troops, five during the month of December. (Posted 9:40 a.m.)

Briton missing five years arrested on suspicion of fraud

LONDON (CNN) -- A British man who suddenly reappeared five years after he was thought to have drowned at sea has been arrested on suspicion of fraud, and police appealed for help Wednesday in determining what happened while he was missing.

The case raises many unanswered questions, Detective Superintendent Tony Hutchinson told a news conference in the northeast town of Middlesbrough.

John Darwin, 57, was presumed to have died in 2002 after the remains of a kayak he paddled into the North Sea off the coast of Seaton Carew in northeastern England washed up on shore.

When he showed up at a police station in central London on Saturday, he told officers he was suffering from amnesia.

Darwin, who was arrested late Tuesday, is to be taken from London to the northeast for questioning later Wednesday, Hutchinson told reporters. (Posted 9:04 a.m.)

U.S. soldier killed in northern Iraq attack

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- A U.S. soldier died on Wednesday from injuries in an attack on Tuesday in northern Iraq, the U.S. military said.

The soldier, from Multi-National Division - North, died in Salaheddin province as "a result of wounds sustained from an attack involving an improvised explosive device and small-arms fire" during operations. (Posted 8:46 a.m.)

Tanker truck in Boston-area town catches fire; cars, structures engulfed by flames, no serious injuries

(CNN) -- An early Wednesday blaze in a Massachusetts town engulfed cars and structures but caused no serious injuries after a tanker truck filled with 9,000 gallons of gasoline overturned and sparked the fire.

The incident occurred in Everett, outside of Boston.

Red Cross official Amelia Aubourg told CNN at least 200 people have been evacuated from their residences and taken to an armory that was being used as a shelter. Fire officials said that among those evacuated were 84 residents of an apartment building for the elderly.

The flames engulfed three buildings, including two houses, and as many as 40 cars, fire officials said. The truck was destroyed and the driver escaped serious injury. Others escaped serious injury as well, the officials said.

"In consideration of everything that firefighters had to deal with, I think it's a miracle that we haven't seen some serious injuries," Everett Fire Chief David Butler said. (Posted 7:48 a.m.)

Car bombings in Iraq kill 8, wound top Iraqi general

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- A top Iraqi general was wounded and two people were killed in a parked car bomb attack on the general's convoy Wednesday in the northern city of Kirkuk, a police official there told CNN.

Gen. Kakamend Kakaresh, the head of civil defense in northern Iraq's Sulaimaniya province, was among 11 people wounded in the attack. The head of Kirkuk's human rights bureau, who was in the same vehicle with Kakaresh, was also wounded, police said.

Two people were killed -- including a security guard -- in the explosion, which took place around 10:30 a.m. (2:30 a.m. ET) in Kirkuk's Domiz neighborhood. Kirkuk is about 150 miles (240 km) north of Baghdad in Iraq's Tameem province.

Meanwhile, in central Baquba, a car bomb explosion in a bus station killed five people and wounded 13 around noon Wednesday. Police said eight cars were destroyed in the blast, which occurred north of Baghdad in restive Diyala province.

To the northwest in Mosul, an Iraqi civilian was killed and seven were wounded in a car bomb explosion aimed at an Iraqi police patrol, police there told CNN. (Posted 6:30 a.m.)

Gates makes unannounced visit to Iraq

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Wednesday, the latest stop in an overseas trip.

He was meeting with U.S. and Iraqi officials in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul and was to meet with Iraqi military officers.

Later, he was to go to Baghdad, where he will be meeting with President Jalal Talabani, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, Gen. David Petraeus and others.

The trip comes as U.S. and Iraqi officials report decreases in casualties and attacks during the U.S. troop escalation called the "surge."

Gates visit to Iraq follows stops in Afghanistan and Djibouti. (Posted 5:59 a.m.)

Thousands of GE microwaves recalled due to fire hazard

NEW YORK (CNN) -- More than 90,000 built-in combination wall and microwave ovens made by the General Electric Co. (GE) have been voluntarily recalled due to a fire hazard, U.S. government safety officials announced Wednesday.

"The door switch in the microwave wall oven can overheat and cause a fire so consumers should stop using the recalled microwaves immediately," said Julie Vallese, spokeswoman with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

The ovens were sold between January 2000 and December 2003 under the brand names GE, GE Profile and Kenmore, the CPSC said. The U.S.-made ovens were sold in white, black, bisque and stainless steel and cost between $1,500 and $2,000. (Posted 5:40 a.m.)

Rice arrives in Ethiopia for meetings with African delegations

(CNN) -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Addis Ababa Wednesday on a two-day visit to meet with Ethiopian officials and delegations from Africa's Great Lakes countries, according to the official Ethiopian National News Agency.

Rice was greeted at Bole International Airport by officials from Ethiopia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia Donald Yamamoto. Rice was scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and Foreign Affairs Minister Seyoum Mesfin on "bilateral cooperation as well as international and regional issues," the news agency said. (Posted 5:29 a.m.)

Man who reappeared five years after he was thought to have a drowned is arrested by police

LONDON (CNN) -- A British man who reappeared a full five years after he was thought to have drowned at sea has been arrested, police told CNN Wednesday.

John Darwin, 57, was presumed to have died in 2002 after the remains of a canoe he paddled into the North Sea off the coast of Seaton Carew in northeastern England washed up on shore.

However, Darwin walked in to a police station in central London Saturday and told officers, "I think I am a missing person," a spokeswoman for Cleveland Police, the local force investigating the case, said. (Posted 5:26 a.m.)

Ahmadinejad: U.S. report 'victory' for Iran's nuclear program

TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- Iran's controversial president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, on Wednesday called a U.S. intelligence report released this week "a declaration of victory" for the Iranian nuclear program.

During a televised speech made from Ilam province in western Iran, Ahmadinejad said earlier reports from the United States had been based on "shoddy intelligence."

The administration of U.S. President George Bush has spent years warning that Iran's development of nuclear power plants and enriched uranium masked an effort to produce an atomic bomb. Top officials have called the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran "unacceptable." (Posted 3:43 a.m.)

Troops in Afghanistan kill Taliban commander

(CNN) -- Coalition forces dealt a "significant blow" to the Taliban by killing a senior Taliban commander suspected of involvement in the kidnapping earlier this year of an Italian journalist, the U.S.-led coalition said on Wednesday.

The coalition said it had confirmed former Taliban senior commander Mullah Ikhalas was killed in a Sunday precision munitions strike in Helmand province, where troops were targeting Taliban command and control networks.

Various reports linked Ikhalas with a number of mortar attacks on coalition bases as well as several bomb attacks, the coalition said.

His death "is a significant blow to the Taliban command structure in Afghanistan," said coalition spokesman Maj. Chris Belcher. (Posted 2:35 a.m.)

Hamas: Israeli attack kills 3 Palestinian militants

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Three Palestinian militants from Islamic Jihad died in an Israeli "aerial attack" in central Gaza early Wednesday, Hamas security sources said.

In its description of the strike, Israel Defense Forces said, "The attack was carried out following the continuous launching of Qassam rockets and mortar shells at Israeli communities in the western Negev, including those fired at the Israeli community of Nahal Oz on Sunday."

According to IDF, Israel has been hit with a continuing barrage of Qassam rockets and mortar shells since June, with about 240 being fired into Israel during November.

"The IDF will continue to operate in order to reduce the number of Qassam rockets and mortar shells fired from the Gaza Strip at the Israeli home front," the Israeli military statement said. (Posted 2:35 a.m.)

ACLU criticizes law enforcement information-sharing operations

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- New facilities created to help federal, state and local agencies fight terrorism after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks pose an unprecedented threat to Americans' privacy and may not be effective in fighting their main target, according to a new report from the American Civil Liberties Union.

Created after the failure to uncover the Sept. 11 plot, the nationwide network of more than 40 "fusion centers" is intended to be a cornerstone of federal information-sharing with state and local governments. But the ACLU maintains that "they exist in a no-man's land between the federal government and the states, where policy and oversight is often uncertain and open to manipulation."

The report, obtained by CNN and scheduled to be released on Wednesday, is critical of private sector and military participation in the centers, the centers' use of data mining and their excessive secrecy. It says that participating agencies engage in "policy shopping," manipulating differences in federal, state, and local laws to maximize information-gathering and evade accountability and oversight. (Posted 2:30 a.m.)

Coalition forces kill Afghan militants, destroy weapons

(CNN) -- U.S.-led coalition forces on Tuesday killed several armed militants and recovered a number of munitions in southern Afghanistan's Helmand Province, during military operations aimed at disrupting foreign fighter cells, the coalition press center said Wednesday.

The operation took place in the Garmsir district and targeted an individual suspected of weapons smuggling and association with a Taliban leader, the coalition said. (Posted 2:25 a.m.)

2 soldiers killed in IED, small arms fire attack

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Two U.S. soldiers were killed and two were wounded Tuesday in "a complex attack" while they were conducting operations in Salaheddin province, the military said in a statement.

The soldiers were assigned to Multi-National Division-North, the statement said. The attack was "involving an explosive device and small arms fire." The injured soldiers were taken to a coalition medical facility for treatment.

Since the start of the war in Iraq, the U.S. military has lost 3,885 troops, four during the month of December. (Posted 11:05 p.m.)

Soldier killed, 2 wounded in explosion

(CNN) -- A NATO service member was killed and two were wounded Tuesday when an explosion struck a patrol in southern Afghanistan, according to a statement from NATO's International Security Assistance Force.

The soldiers' injuries were not thought to be life threatening, the statement said. No further details of the incident were released.

The soldiers' names and nationality were withheld. (Posted 11:05 p.m.) E-mail to a friend