The CNN Wire: Thursday, Dec. 6

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.

Tanker collision releases 10,000 tons of oil off South Korean coast

SEOUL (CNN) -- Thousands of tons of oil spilled into the Yellow Sea off the western coast of South Korea Friday after an oil tanker collided with a barge carrying a crane, the Maritime Ministry of Korea reported.

About 10,000 tons of oil gushed out of the Hebei Sprit after the crane punctured holes in the side of the tanker around 7:15 a.m. local time (5:15 p.m. Thursday)

"There are currently 12 patrol boats and 3 other ships at the site of the accident efforting to control further oil leakage and oil spreading," the ministry said.

"Because of the current wind and wave movements the maritime ministry is not expecting to see much environmental damage on the west coast of Korea." (Posted 2:55 a.m.)

Wife of 'canoe man' leaves Panama

LONDON (CNN) -- The wife of a British man who suddenly reappeared five years after he was thought to have drowned at sea has left Panama, a Panamanian immigration representative told CNN late Thursday. Her final destination was not immediately known, but the official said her initial flight was headed for the United States.

British media reports said Anne Darwin and her husband John had started a new life in Panama after he was thought to have died off the coast of northeastern England.

John Darwin, 57, walked into at a police station in London over the weekend five years after the remains of a kayak he paddled into the North Sea off the coast of Seaton Carew washed up on shore.

He was to be questioned by Cleveland police on suspicion of fraud and remained in custody Friday morning. (Posted 1:10 a.m.)

Mine explosion in China kills at least 105

BEIJING (CNN) -- Rescue teams on Friday recovered more bodies following a powerful gas explosion at the Xinyao Coal Mine in northern China's Shanxi province, bringing the death toll 105, according to China's state-run Xinhua news agency.

It was uncertain how many workers were in the mine at the time of the blast. In earlier reporting, Xinhua said 15 miners had escaped or been rescued.

The explosion occurred late Wednesday in the village of Zuomu, near Linfen, Xinhua reported.

Rescue officials told Xinhua that they believed mine managers "delayed reporting the accident while they tried to mount their own operations, which meant that a crucial window of time for rescue passed and casualties probably increased." (Posted 12:20 a.m.)

2 GOP members of House page board resign

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A Republican member of Congress resigned Thursday from the board that oversees the House page program, sending a scathing letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi complaining about the "failed leadership of the Clerk of the House," who administers the program.

A second Republican congresswoman also announced that she would submit her resignation from the board on Friday.

Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite of Florida said in her resignation letter to Pelosi that she has seen "even less oversight from the Clerk's office and from your office than in Congresses past."

The page program came under intense scrutiny last year when suggestive e-mails surfaced from then-Florida Republican Rep. Mark Foley to teenage male pages. Foley admitted that he is gay and resigned from Congress, and then-House Speaker Dennis Hastert promised an overhaul of the program -- promises Pelosi pledged to pursue when Democrats won control of the House in November's elections.

A House Ethics Committee investigation later found that some people who knew about Foley's questionable communications chose to "remain willfully ignorant" rather than confront the matter head-on, but concluded that no House rules were broken. (Posted 8:57 p.m.)

Shuttle launch scrubbed due to fuel sensor error

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. (CNN) -- Launch of the space shuttle Atlantis, initially scheduled for Thursday, was delayed until at least Saturday while workers investigate a problem with sensors on the floor of the shuttle's external tank, program managers said.

Two of the four engine cut-off sensors for the shuttle's external fuel tank failed during pre-flight testing. The launch had been scheduled for 4:30 p.m. ET.

A launch on Saturday would happen at 3:43 p.m. ET.

The shuttle's mission management team, which troubleshoots problems with the shuttle in the run up to launch and while it is in space, will meet again Friday to evaluate engineering data and discuss whether or not to move forward with a Saturday launch, officials said.

The focus of the shuttle's upcoming 11-day mission is delivering the long-awaited European addition to the International Space Station -- a 23-foot-long laboratory module named "Columbus," after the 15th century explorer. (Posted 8:54 p.m.)

Police: Mall employees, customers were random targets for gunman

OMAHA, Neb. (CNN) -- Police believe the six employees and two customers killed Wednesday at an Omaha department store were randomly selected as targets by a 19-year-old gunman who rained bullets on them with a military-style rifle.

Omaha Police Chief Thomas Warren said Thursday that the shooter, Robert Hawkins, visited a friend near Westroads Mall before the shootings and apparently went directly to the mall after that meeting.

He said the victims of the shootings seem to have been targeted at random, but the incident itself appeared to be premeditated, as Hawkins left a suicide note and other correspondence.

Police have also confiscated "computers," and are looking at information on Web sites, he said. He did not say where police took the computers, and he refused to divulge the contents of the suicide note, the other correspondence or the Web sites. (Posted 7:44 p.m.)

Mukasey: Discrimination still exists, seeking equal justice a work in progress

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Attorney General Michael Mukasey told the Justice Department's divided and buffeted civil rights division Thursday to press ahead with enforcement of the nation's laws against discrimination.

He did not address criticism by African-American leaders and lawmakers as well as some former employees that the present-day Justice Department is not aggressively protecting the rights of racial minorities.

In ceremonies marking the 50th anniversary of the 1957 establishment of the Civil Rights Division, Mukasey recalled the difficult battles over segregation and racial violence, but said the fight is not over.

"The pursuit of equal justice for all remains very much a work in progress," Mukasey said. "Discrimination still exists, and the work of the Civil Rights Division remains as relevant today as it did a half century ago." --From Justice Producer Terry Frieden (Posted 6:28 p.m.)

Federal government moves to step up security around radiological materials

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- People with unescorted access to certain dangerous radiological materials will now have to undergo fingerprinting and criminal background checks, under a new order from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The order will affect thousands of individuals in industry, academia and medicine. Among those who will have to comply are people who handle gamma knives, used for brain surgery; radiography cameras that can detect steel beams behind several inches of concrete; and machines used to irradiate food and medical equipment.

The federal government has been repeatedly criticized for not taking more aggressive measures to secure high-risk radiological material, which can be used with explosives to create "dirty bombs." Experts say such a bomb would likely not kill many people, but would create public panic.

The goal of the NRC order is to tighten security around the radiological materials the U.S. government has deemed to be the most sensitive from a security perspective, as well as a health and safety standpoint, an NRC official said. It will apply to nearly 1,000 licensees who possess "radioactive materials in quantities of concern." --From Homeland Security Correspondent Jeanne Meserve (Posted 6:17 p.m.)

CIA videotaped al Qaeda interrogations; later destroyed tapes

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The CIA two years ago destroyed videotapes it made of interrogations of al Qaeda suspects in 2002, CIA director Michael Hayden said Thursday in a letter to CIA employees obtained by CNN.

The tapes were made as "an internal check" on the CIA's use of harsh interrogation techniques, believed to include waterboarding, a technique that involves restraining a suspect and pouring water on him to produce the sensation of drowning.

The agency made the decision to destroy the tapes "only after it was determined they were no longer of intelligence value and not relevant to any internal, legislative, or judicial inquiries," Hayden said.

"Beyond their lack of intelligence value -- as the interrogation sessions had already been exhaustively detailed in written channels -- and the absence of any legal or internal reason to keep them, the tapes posed a serious security risk," Hayden said. "Were they ever to leak, they would permit identification of your CIA colleagues who had served in the program, exposing them and their families to retaliation from al-Qa'ida and its sympathizers." (Posted 5:50 p.m.)

Eisenberg: 'I wanted to sacrifice myself for mental illness'

DOVER, N.H. (CNN) -- Before holding hostages for five hours Friday at Sen. Hillary Clinton's New Hampshire campaign office, Leeland Eisenberg had thought "all week long" about how to draw attention to mental health issues, and had pondered the idea of climbing on top of Rochester's city hall or going to the governor's office, he told CNN in an interview Wednesday.

"I wanted to sacrifice myself for mental illness and bring about the discussion about mental illness," Eisenberg said at the Strafford County jail in Dover, N.H.

Furthermore, he said, "I wanted the police to kill me," he said.

Eisenberg is charged with four counts of kidnapping and single counts of criminal threatening and fraudulent use of a bomb-like device, according to the Strafford County Attorney Janice Rundles. (Posted 5:39 p.m.)

Official: Hawkins made 'homicidal threats toward his stepmother'

LINCOLN, Neb. (CNN) -- The troubled teen who killed eight people and himself at an Omaha mall was placed in a mental health treatment center five years ago after making homicidal threats toward his stepmother, a state official said Thursday.

Todd Landry, director of the Nebraska Division of Family and Children's Services, described for reporters the laundry list of residential treatment centers and group and foster homes where Robert Hawkins spent much of his teen years, because of his behavioral and psychiatric problems.

At one point during that period, in November 2003, Hawkins also filed a report with police alleging he was molested by a roommate at one of the facilities. The case was resolved internally, according to the report.

Asked about the allegation, Landry responded, "I can't confirm or deny that that may have happened." (Posted 5:26 p.m.)

Bush: Plan to freeze certain subprime mortgage rates will help 1.2 million; Barclays analysis says 'impediments' will make number closer to 240,000

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- President Bush's unveiled a foreclosure relief plan Thursday that he said could help 1.2 million distressed homeowners.

The program allows a five-year freeze in interest rates only for borrowers current with their monthly payments. It will streamline the mortgage modification process for many distressed borrowers, according to Bush. It will offer "more relief to more homeowners, more quickly," he said.

But the plan is limited. It excludes anyone more than 30 days late with a payment at the time the mortgage would be modified or anyone who has been more than 60 days late at any time within the previous 12 months.

It also covers only borrowers with adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) resetting beginning in 2008 and leaves out any who are judged capable of continuing to make mortgage payments at the higher reset rates. And borrowers who can't afford the loan even at low introductory rates also will be ineligible, according to Anne Canfield, executive director of the Consumer Mortgage Coalition, which represents lenders and mortgage servicers.

The president said 1.2 million borrowers could benefit. But of the 2.2 million subprime ARMS that are expected to reset through the end of 2008, only 240,000 of those would be covered, according to an analysis made by investment banker Barclays Capital as reported in The New York Times. --By CNNMoney.com's Les Christie (Posted 2:25 p.m.)

Deputy intelligence chief insists Iranian threat not benign

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The deputy intelligence chief tried Thursday to squash any suggestion that the newly released assessment on Iran's nuclear weapons program indicates Iran is less of a threat.

At a hearing before a House intelligence subcommittee, Donald Kerr defended the conclusions of the National Intelligence Estimate -- which said Iran stopped work on a nuclear weapon in 2003 -- but at the same time insisted that the NIE "did not in any way suggest that Iran was benign for the future."

He said Iranians continue work on what he called the "most important component" of any future program, a civilian uranium enrichment plant. Both intelligence officials and nuclear weapons experts have said producing fissile material such as highly enriched uranium is the most difficult aspect of creating a nuclear weapon.

Kerr also said Iran continues to develop a medium ballistic missile, which could be used as the delivery system for nuclear weapons. --From National Security Producer Pam Benson (Posted 2:01 p.m.)

Divided Senate panel approves televising Supreme Court proceedings, delays vote on cameras in federal trial courts

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A bitterly divided Senate panel Thursday approved by a vote of 11-7 a measure permitting television coverage of all public Supreme Court proceedings, despite fierce opposition to the idea from the high court justices.

A separate move to allow TV coverage of all federal appellate and trial court proceedings was withdrawn after stiff opposition developed from members of both parties.

The bipartisan bill for television cameras in the Supreme Court was approved in the Senate Judiciary Committee with backing from eight Democrats and three Republicans. It now goes to the full Senate.

"The Supreme Court shall permit television coverage of all open sessions of the court unless the court decides by a vote of the majority of justices that allowing such coverage in a particular case would constitute a violation of the due process rights of one or more of the parties before the court," the legislation says. --From Justice Producer Terry Frieden (Posted 1:43 p.m.)

U.S. shopping malls reviewing emergency plans in light of Omaha shooting

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Shopping malls around the country are reviewing their emergency plans and considering additional security measures in light of Wednesday's mall shooting in Omaha, Nebraska, which killed eight.

"There is always a fear of copycats when something like this happens," said Malachy Kavanaugh, spokesman for the International Council of Shopping Centers. He said malls would be considering whether to close some entrances, bring in additional officers, and make security more visible.

There are 1,200 enclosed malls in the United States and about 50,000 shopping centers. Although some include police substations, most are patrolled by unarmed private mall and store security guards.

The FBI and other federal agencies have reached out to private security firms to share information on best practices.

The FBI also sends out alerts regarding possible threats to the private sector. For example, just two weeks ago, the FBI put out an alert about the holiday shopping season. The alert singled out malls as a possible target. The alert cited several suggestions for security personnel. Those include watching out for anyone who may be conducting surveillance. It said to be on the lookout for people trying to obtain security information, who show an unusual interest in entry points, or hours of operation. It also said to watch out for persons standing in the same area over multiple days with no reasonable explanation. --From Homeland Security Correspondent Jeanne Meserve (Posted 1:32 p.m.)

Woman who had opened home to Omaha mall shooter calls him 'puppy that nobody wanted'

BELLVUE, Neb. (CNN) -- In a high school photo of Robert Hawkins, the 19-year-old who shot eight people to death in an Omaha mall before killing himself Wednesday, a haunting look in his eyes hints at the pain that may have led to the rampage.

Debora Maruca-Kovac, a friend of Hawkins' family who was letting the teenager live in her home, described him on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360" as "kind of like a pound puppy that nobody wanted."

Paraphrasing his suicide note, she said, "He didn't want to be a burden to people and (said) that he was a piece of s--- all of his life and that now he'd be famous."

Although police and the media are gathering all the information they can about Hawkins, no one will ever know exactly what led him to snap -- unleashing terror with an AK-47 assault rifle inside a mall and killing eight people, then himself. (Posted 1:15 p.m.)

6 employees among dead in Omaha mall shooting

OMAHA, Neb. (CNN) -- Six department store employees and two customers were killed Wednesday in the rampage by a 19-year-old gunman in Omaha, Police Chief Thomas Warren said Thursday.

Two other employees are in critical but stable condition, he said, and another person was still being treated, Warren said, but he did not specify whether the individual was a customer or employee. Two other customers had been treated and released, he said.

The employees all worked at Von Maur department store in the Westroads Mall, he said. The deceased ranged in ages from 24 to 66.

Warren said the shooter, Robert Hawkins, visited a friend near the mall before the shootings, and the teen apparently went directly to the mall after that meeting. The chief said Hawkins also sent at least one text message to his former girlfriend, with whom he broke up about two weeks ago. He also left a voicemail for his mother. (Posted 12:37 p.m.)

Romney takes leap of faith with religion speech

(CNN) -- White House hopeful Mitt Romney said religious liberty "is fundamental to America's greatness" in his Thursday address on faith in America.

Romney, seeking to become the first Mormon president, explained how his faith would affect his presidency in his speech at former President George H. W. Bush's presidential library.

"There are some who may feel that religion is not a matter to be seriously considered in the context of the weighty threats that face us. If so, they are at odds with the nation's founders," he said.

"Freedom requires religion just as religion requires freedom. Freedom opens the windows of the soul so that man can discover his most profound beliefs and commune with God. Freedom and religion endure together, or perish alone," he said. --By CNN's Kristi Keck (Posted 12:27 p.m.)

Shuttle launch scrubbed due to fuel sensor error

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. (CNN) -- NASA scrubbed Thursday's shuttle launch after detecting an error with the Atlantis' fuel sensors, which the agency hopes to have fixed in time for a Friday launch.

Two of the four engine cut-off sensors for the shuttle's external fuel tank failed during pre-flight testing. The launch had been scheduled for 4:30 p.m. ET. NASA decided to postpone the launch at 9:56 a.m. ET.

The next window is 4:09 p.m. on Friday.

The focus of the shuttle's upcoming 11-day mission is delivering the long-awaited European addition to the International Space Station -- a 23-foot-long laboratory module named "Columbus," after the 15th century explorer. (Posted 12:05 p.m.)

Source: Army recruiters had rejected mall shooter

OMAHA, Neb. (CNN) -- U.S. Army recruiters turned down Omaha mall shooter Robert Hawkins last summer when he tried to enlist, a source familiar with the situation told CNN Thursday.

The source didn't want to be named because it's against the rules to discuss information about potential recruits.

The reason for the turndown was unclear. Two recruiters said Hawkins seemed like an average teenager who said he wanted to leave Omaha and take his life in a different direction. "He said he'd had a rough time in his life and wanted to see about changing it," said Army Sgt. Edward Dust. --From CNN's Dan Simon (Posted 11:53 a.m.)

Paris letter bomb kills legal assistant, injures lawyer; target of attack unclear

PARIS (CNN) -- French officials are trying to determine who sent a letter bomb that exploded Thursday in a Paris law office, killing a female assistant who opened the package.

The blast seriously injured a lawyer standing nearby, but his injuries are not life-threatening, French Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie (prono: AL-ee-oh-mah-REE) said.

Speaking from the scene hours after the blast, Alliot-Marie said a courier delivered the "makeshift" letter bomb a short time before it detonated at approximately 12:50 p.m. (6:50 a.m. ET). She said two explosive devices were inside the parcel -- one detonated and the other did not.

The package was delivered to a fourth floor law office that handles civil and commercial work, according to Paris prosecutor Jean-Claude Marin, who is participating in the investigation.

It is unclear why the office would be the target of an attack, Marin said. Investigators are sifting through the debris to determine to whom the package was addressed, he said. (Posted 11:24 a.m.)

8 Kurdish troops, 3 militants killed in Diyala fighting

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Eight Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga troops and three militants were killed Thursday when gunmen believed to be with al Qaeda in Iraq attacked the soldiers in northern Iraq, Diyala police told CNN.

Five troops were wounded in the incident, in which a dozen gunmen ambushed a Kurdish security outpost in Qaratbba village near Khanaqin, about 150 kilometers, or 93 miles, northeast of Baghdad, police said.

The location is in Diyala province, part of a stretch in northern Iraq where there is significant militant presence. There have been many incidents of violence involving Iraqi Kurdish troops deployed to the province as part of the security crackdown. Officials attribute Thursday's attack to al Qaeda in Iraq.

On Tuesday , a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a main gate of a police station in Jalawla, killing eight people and wounding 30, police said. Four of the slain were police and two were peshmerga. Of the wounded, six are police and four are peshmerga. --From CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq (Posted 11:20 p.m.)

Mortgage bankers report record rate of new foreclosures

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The rate of home owners going into foreclosure hit a record high in the third quarter, while those late with their payments were at the highest level since 1986 -- the latest signs of the meltdown in the mortgage and real estate markets shaking the U.S. economy.

The Mortgage Bankers Association reported that 0.78 percent of mortgages entered the foreclosure process in the three months ended Sept. 30, up from the 0.65 percent foreclosure rate in the second quarter that had been the previous record, and more than double the 0.32 percent rate seen a year earlier.

The report also showed that 5.59 percent of borrowers are now at least 30 days late making their mortgage payment.

Mortgage delinquencies and foreclosures became a serious problem during the quarter, as investor demand dried up for securities backed by mortgages, particularly subprime loans made to borrowers without top credit scores. (Posted 10:51 a.m.)

Romney to take leap of faith with religion speech

White House hopeful Mitt Romney will tell Americans Thursday morning as he seeks to become the nation's first Mormon president that he shares the same "moral convictions" as other people of faith.

The former Massachusetts governor is delivering the speech to address religion's role in government but also to address concerns voters might have about the Mormon religion.

Romney will give the address at 10:30 a.m. ET at former President George H. W. Bush's presidential library in College Station, Texas. About 300 people -- a combination of friends, family and religious and conservative leaders -- will be in the audience, according to a campaign representative.

In excerpts released Thursday morning, Romney talks about the shared convictions of all faiths. But he resists those who would have him explain his own faith. "No candidate should become the spokesman for his faith. For if he becomes president, he will need the prayers of the people of all faiths." --From CNN's Kristi Keck (Posted 9:57 a.m.)

Parcel bomb strikes central Paris law office; 1 dead

PARIS (CNN) -- A small parcel bomb detonated Thursday inside a central Paris law office, killing one person and seriously injuring at least one other, police and interior ministry officials told CNN.

The building contains several law offices, including the former firm of French President Nicolas Sarkozy and an office for a foundation dedicated to the memory of the Holocaust, police said.

The target of the blast is unclear. Serge Klarsfeld, a former Nazi war criminal hunter who is affiliated with the Holocaust foundation, told CNN he did not believe that office was the target of the attack.

An eyewitness told French Radio that the parcel containing the explosive device was delivered to an attorney's office through the regular mail, but on a different floor from the offices of Sarkozy's former firm.

There are reports that the person killed was a female secretary who opened the parcel on the fourth floor. (Posted 9:55 a.m.)

White House confirms Bush letters to participants in six-party talks

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush sent letters to participants in the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program that underscore the U.S. commitment to the discussions and the need for North Korea to transparently disclose details about its activities, the White House said Thursday.

National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe confirmed to CNN that Bush wrote the letters on Saturday to North Korea, South Korea, China, Russia and Japan.

The White House disclosed this development after the Korean Central News Agency, the North's official news agency, said Thursday that President Bush has sent North Korea's leader Kim Jong Il a "personal letter."

"In these letters, the president reiterated our commitment to the six-party talks and stressed the need for North Korea to come forward with a full and complete declaration of their nuclear programs, as called for in the September 2005 six-party agreement," Johndroe said. (Posted 9:48 a.m.)

Suspect in Kercher killing extradited to Italy

ROME (CNN) -- Italian police have taken into custody a third suspect in the murder of British student Meredith Kercher after he was extradited from Germany Thursday.

Rudy Hermann Guede, an Ivory Coast native, was greeted by Italian police officials after he arrived at Rome's Fiumicino airport around 1p.m. (7 a.m. ET), an airport spokesman confirmed to CNN.

Guede, 20, who was accompanied on his Lufthansa flight by Interpol officers, was arrested in Germany last month after a bloody palm print was found on a pillow at the crime scene. He did not attempt to fight extradition. He is the only suspect to have admitted being at Kercher's villa the night she died.

Kercher, 20, was found half-naked, with a stab wound to her neck at her villa in Perugia on Nov. 2. (Posted 8:57 a.m.)

10 arrested for smuggling fake Nikes, Chanel into U.S.

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Ten members of an international smuggling ring have been arrested and charged with paying more than $500,000 in bribes to smuggle millions of dollars in fake designer goods from China to the United States, according to the Justice Department.

The defendants were expected to appear Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Frank Maas in New York.

The counterfeit goods included designer jeans, Nike shoes, Burberry and Chanel handbags, and Polo and Baby Phat clothing, according to a news release from the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.

The estimated value of the genuine versions of the goods would be more than $200 million, prompting U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia to describe the case as "one of the largest counterfeit smuggling cases ever brought in United States history." (Posted 9:19 a.m.)

Parcel bomb strikes central Paris law office; 1 dead

PARIS (CNN) -- A small parcel bomb detonated Thursday inside a law office building in central Paris, killing one person and seriously injuring at least one other, police and interior ministry officials told CNN.

The building contains several law offices, including the former firm of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and an office for a foundation dedicated to the memory of the Holocaust, police said.

The target of the blast is unclear. (Posted 8:54 a.m.)

Sarkozy appeals to Colombian rebel leader to release hostage

PARIS (CNN) -- French President Nicolas Sarkozy has made a direct appeal to a Colombian rebel group to release a French citizen held hostage for the last five years.

Video footage of Ingrid Betancourt -- who also holds Colombian citizenship -- emerged last week showing her looking emaciated and worn out. Betancourt, who was kidnapped in 2002 while she was campaigning for the Colombian presidency, has become a cause celebre in France.

Sarkozy made an appeal to her captors -- the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as FARC -- on French television station TF1 late Wednesday. "I have a dream: to see Ingrid among her family this Christmas," the French president said.

Sarkozy directed his impassioned appeal to the leader of the FARC rebels, Manuel Marulanda. (Posted 7:28 a.m.)

Sons of 'canoe man' say they were victims of 'huge scam' by their parents

LONDON (CNN) -- The two sons of a British man who suddenly reappeared five years after he was thought to have drowned at sea said Thursday they feared they may have been the victims of a "huge scam" carried out by their own parents.

Police on Thursday were preparing to question John Darwin, 57, after he was moved to a police station in northeastern England late Wednesday following his arrest on suspicion of fraud, a spokesman for Cleveland Police, the force investigating the case said.

In a joint statement released by police, Darwin's sons, Mark, 31, and Anthony, 29, said they were in an "angry and confused state of mind" and they wanted no further contact with their parents.

After media reports Thursday that Darwin's wife Anne had confessed to knowing her husband was alive, the sons said: "If the papers' allegations of a confession from our mam are true then we very much feel that we have been the victims in a large scam." (Posted 7:27 a.m.)

President Bush sends 'personal letter' to North Korean leader

(CNN) -- President Bush has sent North Korea's leader Kim Jong Il a "personal letter," the North's official news agency said Thursday.

There were no details on the content of the letter, but the Korean Central News Agency said it was delivered Wednesday by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill to North Korean Foreign Minister Pak Ui Chun during Hill's most recent trip to Pyongyang.

There was no immediate White House comment on the report.

North Korea is rushing toward an end-of-year deadline to disable a key nuclear facility that produced materials to make nuclear bombs. (Posted 6:42 a.m.)

Pakistani protesters demand judiciary independence

ISLAMABAD (CNN) -- About 100 lawyers rallied near the house of Pakistan's ousted Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry in Islamabad Thursday, demanding the judge's reinstatement and release from what is essentially house arrest.

At the same time, opposition leader Nawaz Sharif hoped to breach Pakistani security outside Chaudhry's home and meet with him later in the day. A spokesman for Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League told CNN Thursday that Sharif would attempt to talk with Chaudhry, but there was no guarantee Sharif would be granted access.

Chaudhry has been unable to leave his home since Nov. 3, when soldiers surrounded it as part of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's state of emergency orders. (Posted 6:13 a.m.)

Police prepare to quiz 'canoe man' as wife confesses to tabloids

LONDON (CNN) -- Police on Thursday were preparing to question a British man who suddenly reappeared five years after he was thought to have drowned at sea.

John Darwin, 57, was moved to a police station in northeastern England late Wednesday after he was arrested on suspicion of fraud, a spokesman for Cleveland Police, the force investigating the case said.

As detectives prepared to quiz Darwin, British media reported Thursday that his wife had confessed to knowing he was alive and said she is fearful that the couple's sons will never forgive her. (Posted 6 a.m.)

Petraeus notes violence drop in Iraq but foresees more 'tough work'

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- America's top military commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, said violence is down significantly across the country -- 60 percent in the last six months -- but he's not ready to celebrate.

Petraeus told reporters at Camp Victory that the war has turned a corner in a number of areas, with progress to report against al Qaeda in Iraq, in thwarting militant attacks and through cooperation with local militias. He said troops have put the militants on the run, aggressively "pursuing" them in what used to be their strongholds.

"There's nobody in uniform who's doing victory dances in the end zone," the general said. "We see this as requiring a continued amount of tough work" in the fight against al Qaeda in Iraq. (Posted 5:45 a.m.)

19 killed, 36 wounded in Wednesday Baghdad car bomb

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- The Interior Ministry has updated the casualty toll in the bloody car bombing on Wednesday in central Baghdad, saying that 19 people were killed and 36 were wounded.

The bomb went off in the Karrada district around 5:45 p.m., around the same time Defense Secretary Robert Gates was holding a press conference in the Green Zone during his visit to Iraq. (Posted 4:30 a.m.)

3 insurgents killed, 19 people detained by coalition troops in Iraq

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Three insurgents were killed and 19 people were detained Thursday in coalition troop operations targeting al Qaeda in Iraq "along the Tigris River Valley" in Iraq, the coalition military said.

The raids took place in northwest of Khalis, south of Yusufiya, north of Mosul, and north of Baiji, it said.

"These operations are further examples of the progress we've made against al Qaeda in Iraq senior leaders," said Maj. Winfield Danielson, Multi-National Forces-Iraq spokesman. "We're continuously pursuing them, finding the places they hide and disrupting their ability to attack innocent Iraqis." (Posted 4:20 a.m.)

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

BEIJING (CNN) -- A powerful gas explosion at a coal mine in northern China's Shanxi province killed at least 46 people and left at least 50 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, water from heavy rain 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.)

Teenager fatally 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.) E-mail to a friend