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 Sunday, April 2
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. 1 dead, 11 wounded in two Baghdad car bombings BAGHDAD (CNN) -- A civilian was killed and 11 others were wounded when two car bombs exploded on Monday in Baghdad, police said. The first car bomb exploded at 9:30 a.m. in Alwiya, in south-central Baghdad. It wounded five people. The second detonated in Sadr City in eastern Baghdad, apparently targeting but missing a police patrol. One civilian died and six others were wounded. (Posted 2:56 a.m.) At least 14 dead in Midwest, South storms (CNN) -- Fierce storms packing high winds and twisters tore through the Midwest and South on Sunday, killing 14 people, including 11 in northwestern Tennessee. Eight people were killed west and north of the Dyer County town of Newbern, according to Tennessee Emergency Management spokesman Kurt Pickering. "Numerous homes" were destroyed amid widespread property damage when a tornado swept through the area on Sunday night, he said. Three other people died in nearby Gibson County, Pickering said. The high winds and twisters rumbled through Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky and Illinois, as well as Tennessee. Straight-line winds -- not a twister -- toppled a mobile home in Essex, Mo., killing 42-year-old man, Stoddard County Sheriff Carl Hefner said. In Fairview Heights, Ill., a man was killed when an apparent tornado flattened a clothing store, police said. That city is near St. Louis, Mo. A man was killed when a tree fell on him during a heavy storm near Ballwin in St. Louis County, Mo., a county police spokesman told CNN. (Posted 2:18 a.m.) Sources: McClellan, Snow could be victims of White House shakeup CRAWFORD, Texas (CNN) -- White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan and Treasury Secretary John Snow could become victims of a shakeup at the White House, according to White House and GOP sources. The possible departure of both men from their current posts could be among "several senior level staff" announcements to come within the next couple of weeks, according to several former White House staff, and current GOP strategists, and Bush administration officials. "You're going to have more change than you expect" says one GOP insider. Several Republican officials say one scenario being floated is having White House Counselor Dan Bartlett replace McClellan, who some people believe has outlived his usefulness and should be moved somewhere else in the administration. At the same time, other sources say McClellan's job is secure. Despite the administration's public comments of support for Snow, numerous sources in and outside the White House say Bush has been ready to replace Snow for the past year and has been searching for an "acceptable alternative." The White House also is mulling the selection of an "elder statesman type" to handle affairs in Congress. Others will survive the shakeup. Karl Rove, the president's top political adviser, Vice President Dick Cheney's team, and Bush's Deputy Chief of Staff Joe Hagin are likely staying put, administration sources said. (Posted 12:30 a.m.) Jury returns to deliberate 9/11 trial ALEXANDRIA, Va. (CNN) -- The nine men and three women deciding the fate of admitted terrorism conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui will resume their deliberations Monday morning at 9:30 a.m. EDT. The jury, which is not sequestered, has so far met behind closed doors for more than 12 hours. Monday will be its fourth day handling the case. After hearing two and a half weeks of testimony and evidence, the jury received the case from U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema last Wednesday after her instructions and closing arguments by federal prosecutors and Moussaoui's court-appointed defense team. (Posted 11:06 p.m.) Australia agrees to sell uranium to China SYDNEY, Australia (CNN) -- Australia has agreed to sell uranium to China for power generation as part of what Australian Prime Minister John Howard called a "remarkable transformation" of bilateral ties during the past decade. The uranium deal was concluded Monday in Canberra during a visit by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. Two agreements -- one on uranium transfer and one on nuclear cooperation -- were signed by Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and his Chinese counterpart, Li Zhaoxing. Downer said the agreements were consistent with Australia's long-term policy of applying safeguards and restrictions on uranium exports. China wants to use more nuclear energy to power its fast-growing economy and to reduce its energy dependence on coal and oil. (Posted 10:53 p.m.) Rice to Iraqis: Make the government happen now BAGHDAD (CNN) -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her counterpart, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, hoped to provide impetus for Iraqi politicians to form a government with an unannounced visit Sunday to Baghdad for meetings with party leaders. The process, which began with parliamentary elections on Dec. 15, has been stymied by opposition to the United Iraqi Alliance's nomination of Ibrahim al-Jaafari, the current prime minister, to keep the post. "The message is the same in every meeting," she told reporters. "Each of you has to decide what you have to do personally to move this process along; and people will have different roles to play, but whatever that role is, it's time to play it because the Iraqi people are losing patience." (Posted 6 p.m.) Mexico's Fox: 'We understand our responsibility' (CNN) -- Mexican President Vicente Fox, after meeting last week with President Bush to discuss illegal immigration, denied suggestions Sunday that his government has encouraged its citizens to sneak into the United States. "That's not true. We work hard on the opposite, in trying to build up opportunities here in Mexico," Fox told CNN's "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer." Widespread poverty in Mexico has led millions to cross into the United States, where the total illegal immigrant population is estimated at around 11 million. Fox supports Bush's proposal for a "guest-worker" program that would allow Mexicans illegally in the United States to continue to work and, ultimately, gain legal residency. Fox told CNN his government is working "hard" to create "opportunities" that would help keep residents in Mexico and to enforce its side of the U.S.-Mexico border. "We work very closely together, associated with the Homeland Security Department in the states," he said. (Posted 5:52 p.m.) Freed journalist back in United States BOSTON (CNN) -- After nearly three months in captivity in Iraq, reporter Jill Carroll returned Sunday to the United States and was reunited with her family. "I finally feel like I am alive again -- I feel so good," the 28-year-old reporter for the Christian Science Monitor said Sunday, according to an article published on the newspaper's Web site. "To be able to step outside anytime, to feel the sun directly on your face - to see the whole sky. These are luxuries that we just don't appreciate every day." The article said she and her parents and her twin sister Katie reunited at an undisclosed Boston location amid "long hugs and joyful tears." Carroll arrived shortly after noon at Boston's Logan International Airport aboard a Lufthansa flight. (Posted 5:51 p.m.) Crashed helicopter's pilots are dead BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Two military pilots involved in the Saturday crash of their helicopter southwest of Baghdad are dead, the U.S. military said in a statement Sunday. "The soldiers' remains were recovered following aircraft recovery operations at the crash site of their AH-64D Apache Longbow, which went down due to possible hostile fire west of Yousifiyah," the statement said. The crash occurred Saturday at approximately 5:30 p.m. while the Apache was conducting a combat air patrol, the statement said. Officials believe the aircraft was shot down. (Posted 5:50 p.m.) Man killed when bomb explodes in doughnut shop (CNN) -- A bomb exploded Sunday inside a Toronto doughnut shop bathroom in downtown Toronto, killing an unidentified man, police said. Police said they do not why the man was carrying explosives, or whether the blast was intentional. Witnesses said the man had explosives strapped to his body when he walked into the Tim Hortons doughnut shop, Toronto Police Staff Sergeant Cole said. The man was pronounced dead on arrival at a Toronto hospital, Cole said. (Posted 5:49 p.m.) Faithful fill Saint Peter's Square to remember John Paul II (CNN) -- Tens of thousands of mourners filled St. Peter's Square Sunday to commemorate the anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul II. They joined cardinals and bishops in praying the rosary and singing hymns under the window of the papal apartments, where John Paul II used to greet them. But it was Pope Benedict XVI who looked down on them Sunday from the window and, at 9:37 p.m., the time of John Paul II's death last year, he addressed the crowds. "He continues to be present in our minds and in our hearts," said Pope Benedict. Pope Benedict also addressed the crowd in Polish, sending up cheers from flag-waving Polish pilgrims in St. Peter's Square and those watching via satellite link in the Pope's home country of Poland. (Posted 5:46 p.m.) Mosque, music stores bombed in Baquba BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Insurgents bombed a Shiite mosque early Sunday in Kibba village, about 15 km east of Baquba, an official with the Diyala Joint Coordination Center told CNN. The official said the bombers planted explosives around the small mosque and destroyed it at about 3 a.m. The U.S. military in Baghdad disputes the report, saying they visited the site, and no such incident had taken place. Separately, insurgents bombed three stores selling music CDs in southern Baquba early Sunday, the official said. Baquba is about 60 km north of Baghdad. (Posted 1:41 p.m.) Freed journalist back in Boston BOSTON (CNN) -- After nearly three months in captivity in Iraq, freed journalist Jill Carroll returned Sunday afternoon to the United States, her Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt landing shortly after noon at Boston's Logan International Airport. She was taken to the newspaper's editorial offices. CNN's Paula Hancocks, on board the flight, said that Carroll, 28, appeared relaxed and happy during the flight, counting down the hours until she arrived back on American soil. Before leaving Frankfurt, Carroll said Saturday she had been forced to participate in a propaganda video as a condition for her release, but that the comments she made on videotape did not reflect her true beliefs. (Posted 1 p.m.) Battle lines drawn for immigration showdown WASHINGTON (CNN) -- On the eve of a showdown over a historic overhaul of U.S. immigration law, senators drew lines in the sand Sunday, leaving it all but impossible to envision what kind of legislation may ultimately win passage. "It is incumbent upon us in the Senate to compromise," Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist told CNN's "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer." He called the nation's immigration system "flat out broken." The fierce debates -- centering mostly around what to do with the millions of undocumented immigrants currently in the country -- don't fall along a simple partisan divide. Splits within each party and a wedge between many Republicans and the president lay the groundwork for a passionate, bitter battle. The Senate began deliberations Thursday and plans to try to tackle the issue this week. Even if it manages to pass a bill this week, another fight would follow in the joint House-Senate conference committee, with some House members fighting for a much harsher bill than the Senate is even set to consider. (Posted 12:58 p.m.) Palestinian sources: 6 wounded in continuing West Bank gunbattle JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Six Palestinians, including a senior operative of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, were wounded during a gun battle with the Israeli army in the West Bank city of Qalqiliya, according to Palestinian security sources. The battle is still going on. The Israel Defense Forces had no immediate comment. (Posted 12:29 p.m.) Taliban fighters kill 5 policemen KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Taliban fighters on motorcycles attacked an Afghan checkpoint in Charbagh in the southern province of Kandahar Sunday, killing five policemen, witnesses told CNN. An unreported number of wounded were taken to a hospital, the witnesses said. "Yes, we heard the reports," Afghan government spokesman Khalleq Ahmad told CNN. Checkpoints tend to be vulnerable, and such incidents are common, Kabul resident Akbar Rahmon told CNN. On Saturday, a Taliban rebel attacked a remote checkpoint in Helmond, killing four Afghan police. In both incidents, the attackers fled. (Posted 11:57 a.m.) Iran: U.N. Security Council is only making things worse WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.N. Security Council should have taken no action against Iran over its nuclear aspirations, that country's permanent representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency told CNN Sunday. Ali Asghar Soltanieh said called the council's statement ordering Iran to stop its uranium enrichment activities "a hasty decision" that should not have been taken. He said the U.N. body should take note of the information sent to it by the IAEA's board of governors, but taking action would only exacerbate an already tenuous situation. "The more the United Nations Security Council is engaged and involved, the situation will be further deteriorated," Soltanieh told "Late Edition with With Blitzer." "And we have to prevent confrontation." (Posted 11:15 a.m.) I TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- Iran has successfully test-fired an underwater missile officials there say is the fastest in the world, Iranian state television said Sunday. Gen. Ali Fadavi, deputy head of the Revolutionary Guards' Navy, told state-run television that the missile had a speed of 360 kp/h (223 mph), which matches that of a Russian-made missile developed more than a decade ago. Fadavi said the missile was designed to attack submarines. (Posted 11:08 a.m.) Rice, Straw make surprise visit to Iraq BAGHDAD (CNN) -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her counterpart, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, arrived in Baghdad Sunday for an unannounced visit aimed at jump-starting the process of forming a national unity government. The two were meeting with Sunni, Shia and Kurdish factions, who have been stalled in their efforts to form a government following the Dec. 15 parliamentary elections. The slow pace of negotiations is believed to be fueling much of Iraq's sectarian violence. "This is a really important time for the Iraqi leadership, for the Iraqi people, for Iraq itself," she told CNN's Elise Labott, who is traveling with the secretary, in an interview in Baghdad. "It's an opportunity to have a national unity government that can really take on and solve tremendous challenges." (Posted 11:06 a.m.) Iraqi FM: Parliament will have to decide PM issue BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Hoshyar Zebari, Iraq's Kurdish foreign minister, told CNN Sunday that he believed the only way to end the stalemate over al-Jaafari is to put the matter before parliament. "All the main parliamentary blocs have written to the United Iraqi Alliance, the Shia bloc, to reconsider his nomination," Zebari said on "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer." "But still, there is a deadlock on this, and the only way to break that stalemate, in my view, is to go to the parliament, to convene the House of Representatives of 275 persons, and then to resolve this issue, whether it would be him or somebody else, or to nominate some other people from the United Iraqi Alliance." Zebari added that Iraq must form its government soon, or risk more bloodshed in an already violence-torn nation. (Posted 10:13 a.m.) Crashed helicopter's pilots presumed dead BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Two military pilots are presumed dead after the Saturday crash of their helicopter southwest of Baghdad, the U.S. military said in a statement Sunday. The AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopter went down west of Yousifiah at about 5:30 p.m. Saturday while conducting a combat air patrol, the military said. Officials believe the aircraft was shot down. Recovery efforts continue, the military statement said, and the names of the two soldiers are being withheld pending notification of next-of-kin. (Posted 9:07 a.m.) 4 bodies found; policeman shot dead; official kidnapped BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Iraqi police found four bodies, all shot in the head, Sunday in various neighborhoods of Baghdad, an official with Baghdad emergency police told CNN. Police could not immediately identify the bodies, the official said. Separately, gunmen shot an Iraqi police officer to death near his home in Baghdad's western Jihad neighborhood, he said. The incident took place at 8 a.m. And gunmen kidnapped Walid Subhi al-Dulaimi, the director-general of religious tourism, as he was driving his car in the Mustansriyah neighborhood of eastern Baghdad, the official said. That incident took place at 3 p.m. (Posted 8:49 a.m.) Sunni politician's brother missing BAGHDAD (CNN) -- The brother of a prominent Sunni Arab politician disappeared last week while driving from Baghdad to Salaheddin province, an official with the Iraq National Dialogue Front told CNN Sunday. Taha al-Mutlaq, brother of Saleh al-Mutlaq, may have been kidnapped, the official said. Saleh al-Mutlaq is the head of the Iraqi National Dialogue Front party, which won 11 seats in the parliamentary elections. (Posted 8:45 a.m.) Bombs injure six people after polls close in Thai election BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- Bombs exploded at three polling stations Sunday in Thailand's troubled southern region, injuring two policemen and four soldiers in Narathiwat, one of three Muslim-majority provinces plagued by a separatist insurgency. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who critics have accused of corruption and abuse of power, called the general election three years early because of growing anti-government street protests aimed at ousting him from office. Election results were expected late Sunday. (Posted 7:42 a.m.) Blast at Chinese explosives plant kills 20 workers (CNN) -- Twenty workers died and two were injured in a blast at an explosives plant in Zhaoyuan City, in eastern China's Shandong Province, the government said Sunday. No further details were immediately available. (Posted 7:29 a.m.) Jill Carroll flying home FRANKFURT, Germany (CNN) -- Freed journalist Jill Carroll left Frankfurt early Sunday aboard a commercial flight bound for Boston. She was expected to arrive after 11 a.m. ET. CNN's Paula Hancocks, on board the flight, said that Carroll was relaxed and happy, counting down the hours until she arrived back on American soil. "When we were talking about how long the flight was, she instantly came up with how many hours and how many minutes were left," Hancocks said. "She said she couldn't really think of anything. All she could focus on now was getting home and seeing her family." Before leaving Frankfurt, Carroll said Saturday she was forced to participate in a propaganda video as a condition for her release after being held by insurgents for nearly three months in Iraq, but that the comments she made on videotape did not reflect her true beliefs. (Posted 7:27 a.m.) Police question captain of ship that sunk in Bahrain MANAMA, Bahrain (CNN) -- The captain of the ship that capsized last week, killing at least 57 people, remained in police custody for questioning Sunday after records showed the vessel did not have permission to sail, a spokesman for Bahrain's Interior Ministry said. Government documents show the boat was allowed to float as a docked restaurant only, Col. Tariq Hassan said Saturday. The Al-Dana, carrying 126 people, capsized Thursday night in the Persian Gulf off Bahrain during a party. Sixty-eight people were rescued; one is missing. (Posted 3:50 a.m.) 3 U.S. soldiers die in Iraq (CNN) -- Two U.S. soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb Saturday in central Baghdad, the U.S. military said. The two soldiers, who were assigned to Multi-National Division-Baghdad, were conducting a dismounted patrol when the bomb exploded about 9 p.m. local time (1 p.m. ET), the military said. The incident was under investigation. In addition, the military said Saturday that a U.S. soldier died from non-battle-related injuries while participating in an operation in Kirkuk province. The soldier was assigned to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, or "Task Force Band of Brothers." Since the war in Iraq began, 2,330 soldiers have died. (Updated 11:36 p.m.) 
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