Thursday, January 18

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Editor's Note: The CNN Wire is a running log of the latest news from CNN World Headquarters, reported by CNN's correspondents and producers, and The CNN Wire editors. "Posted" times are Eastern Standard.

U.S. military, Iraqi forces lock-up top Shiite cleric aide after targeted raid

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- In an overnight raid, Iraqi forces backed by U.S. troops captured a top aide to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in eastern Baghdad, the militia's spokesman told CNN Friday.

The spokesman said Sheikh Abdul al-Hadi Darraji -- the director of Sadr's main offices in Sadr City -- was arrested at a mosque in the eastern Baghdad neighborhood of Belediyat, just outside Sadr City.

Al-Sadr's Mehdi Army militia is part of a politically powerful Shiite movement thought to be in the middle of the Sunni-Shiite sectarian violence in Iraq. (Posted 2:54 a.m.)

State prosecutor offers plea deal to defendants in HP leak probe case

By CNN's Katy Byron

SAN FRANCISCO (CNN) -- All five defendants in the Hewlett-Packard spy case, including ousted HP Chairwoman Patricia Dunn, were offered a plea deal reducing their felony charges to a misdemeanor in exchange for their guilty pleas, a defense attorney told CNN late Thursday.

Stephen Naritil, who represents defendant Bryan Wagner, said California Attorney General Bill Lockyer offered his client and the other four defendants the plea deal at the end of December. All five were charged with multiple felonies, including conspiracy. (Posted 1:18 a.m.)

Senate passes ethics bill

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A wide-ranging Senate ethics and lobbying reform bill passed overwhelmingly late Thursday after a controversial amendment that would have created a type of line-item veto authority for the president was dropped.

The final vote was 96-2. The line-item veto measure will be taken up later during deliberations on the minimum wage bill.

The vote took place after the Senate rejected an amendment sponsored by Sens. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, that would have created an independent Office of Public Integrity that would have investigated ethics charges and turned over its findings to the ethics committee.

The ethics bill ran into a road block Wednesday when Democrats blocked an effort by Republicans to get a vote on the line-item veto amendment. (Posted 9:53 p.m.)

Military commission rules include hearsay, 'reliable' coerced evidence

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Pentagon's new rules for trying suspected terrorists before military courts allow the admission of hearsay evidence and some coerced testimony as long as a judge considers the evidence "reliable," military officials said Thursday.

Brig. Gen. Thomas Hemingway, the legal adviser to the Defense Department's Office of Military Commissions, said evidence "obtained by torture" would not be allowed, and statements obtained after the 2005 Detainee Treatment Act, which banned "cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment," would be excluded.

Any evidence obtained by coercion before that statute took effect in December 2005 would be allowed if a judge made "an independent finding that it is nevertheless reliable evidence," Hemingway said.(Posted 8:35 p.m.)

Measles deaths down worldwide

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The number of people who died worldwide from measles has fallen 60 percent since 1999, a decrease being called an incredible achievement in global public health.

The partners in the Measles Initiative immunization program -- including the World Health Organization, the American Red Cross, UNICEF, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the United Nations Foundation -- noted Thursday that the numbers exceed the U.N. goal to cut measles deaths in half between 1999 and 2005.

The group said the drop is largely due to an unprecedented decline in measles deaths in Africa, which has the highest measles burden in the world. Rates there declined by 75 percent. (Posted 7:04 p.m.)

House Democrats finish '100 hours' agenda by passing oil revenue bill

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- House Democrats brought their "100-hour" legislative agenda to a successful close Thursday evening with passage of legislation designed to force oil and gas companies to pay more royalties on some offshore leases and end subsidies and tax deductions they have been receiving amid record prices for crude.

The final vote on the bill -- the sixth of six items Democrats had vowed to pass in 100 hours of legislative action -- was 264 to 123, with 36 Republicans crossing the aisle to support the Democrat-sponsored bill.

The House finished work on all six measures in about 42 hours of floor time, less than half the limit set on their self-imposed clock. However, the legislation must still navigate the Senate, which tends to operate at a more leisurely pace, and could also face President Bush's veto pen. (Posted 6:13 p.m.)

Several potential Libby trial jurors disqualified for potential bias

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The judge and attorneys in the Lewis "Scooter" Libby case slogged through more potential jurors Thursday to reach 30 qualified out of a necessary 36, prompting the judge to hope for better results when jury selection resumes Monday.

In three days of interviews, U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton and the trial attorneys have disqualified 19 potential jurors, many after expressing negative beliefs about the Bush administration, which could lead to bias at the trial.

"It took all day to qualify six jurors," Walton said at the close of the day. "I hope that's not the case Monday." (Posted 5:52 p.m.)

Researchers stand behind study finding boost in nicotine content in cigarettes

BOSTON (CNN) -- Harvard researchers reported Thursday they have confirmed a study they published last year that found an 11 percent increase in nicotine in cigarettes from 1997 to 2005 -- and now know what led to the increase.

Gregory Connolly, head of the Tobacco Control Research Program at the Harvard School of Public Health and lead author of the study, said the increase was largely because cigarettes were using raw tobacco that contained more nicotine.

"What it says is the product has a greater capacity to deliver nicotine into the smoke," Connolly told CNN. (Posted 5:11 p.m.)

Senators spar with Gonzales over eavesdropping

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Attorney General Alberto Gonzales faced a tough crowd at a Democratic-run Senate committee hearing Thursday, with lawmakers questioning the Bush administration's reversal of its warrantless eavesdropping program and its replacement of some federal prosecutors.

Gonzales has been one of the Bush administration's top spokesman for a host of controversial policies, from the establishment of military tribunals to try suspected terrorists to its insistence that Bush could listen in on the communications of terror suspects without court orders.

His appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee -- the first since Democrats took control of Congress -- came a day after the Bush administration announced it was abandoning its controversial "terrorist surveillance program" that President Bush and top aides defended for more than a year. (Posted 4:22 p.m.)

Pentagon finishes manual on trying detainees

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Secretary of Defense Robert Gates on Thursday is submitting to Congress a manual for trials of detainees being held on Guantanamo that would allow the admission of hearsay evidence and coerced testimony, a Pentagon official told reporters.

The manual was drafted to comply with a law passed last year that restored the Bush administration's military commissions created to try terrorist suspects.

The Supreme Court had previously struck down the commissions as unconstitutional. (Posted 3:26 p.m.)

Senators working on separate resolution opposing Bush Iraq troop plan

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine told CNN Thursday that she is working with colleagues on "both sides of the aisle" to come up with a resolution opposing President Bush's plan to increase troops numbers in Iraq -- after she and other Republicans objected to certain language in a resolution proposed by three other senators.

Collins and other Republicans opposed to the president's plan to send an additional 21,000 troops to Iraq objected Wednesday to language in a resolution sponsored by Sens. Joe Biden, D-Del., Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Chuck Hagel, R-Neb.

"What I'm trying to do is to work with a group of colleagues to produce a resolution that would put the Senate firmly on record as opposed to the president's plan, but would do so without taking on controversial or extraneous issues that are unrelated to Iraq," she said. (Posted 2:50 p.m.)

Consumer Reports retracts warning on infant car seats

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Consumer advocacy magazine Consumer Reports on Thursday withdrew a warning it put out earlier this month that said most rear-facing infant car seats on the market failed crash tests when the tests were conducted at speeds used for general auto safety tests.

The magazine said it has withdrawn the report "pending further tests of the performance of those seats in side-impact collisions," after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) provided the magazine information that could have affected the results of tests done on the products.

"Our initial review of the Consumer Reports testing procedures showed a significant error in the manner in which it conducted and reported on its side-impact tests," NHTSA said in a written statement.

--From CNN's Katy Byron (Posted 2:33 p.m.)

Chinese knock out orbiting satellite with missile test

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- China last week successfully tested a missile that can destroy an orbiting satellite, a spokesman for the National Security Council told CNN Thursday.

According to the spokesman, the ground-based, medium-range missile knocked out an old Chinese weather satellite. The satellite was orbiting about 537 miles above Earth, he said.

A U.S. official, who would not agree to be identified, said the test was the first successful test of the missile after three failures.

--From CNN Pentagon Correspondent Jamie McIntyre (Posted 2:18 p.m.)

American aid worker killed in Iraq identified

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- An American woman killed when a convoy was attacked in Baghdad Wednesday has been identified as Andrea "Andi" Parhamovich of the Cleveland suburb of Perry, according to the National Democratic Institute.

Parhamovich, 28, was a staffer for NDI.

Three security people -- a Hungarian, a Croatian and an Iraqi -- were also killed in the ambush. They were employed by the Unity Resources Group.

Parhamovich's co-workers in Baghdad issued statements remembering their colleague's loyalty and humility, and her "tremendous integrity, personal strength and class." (Posted 1:26 p.m.)

U.S. military gathers new information in Iraqi raids that officials say points to Iran involvement

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In raids over the last two months in Iraq, the United States has gathered substantial information and equipment specifically pointing to the involvement of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Al Quds force among Shia militias that have been attacking not just Iraqi civilians, but also U.S. troops, according to defense officials.

The raids took place in Irbil earlier this month, and in Baghdad in December.

The United States is still holding 13 people seized in the raids. Some have been returned to Iran. At least two are said by U.S. officials to be senior members of Al Quds -- although it is not clear if those two are still in U.S. custody.

--From Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr (Posted 12 p.m.)

Reports of Mehdi Army arrests reflect bolder government attitude toward Mehdi militia

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Iraq's government spokesman on Thursday was a bit noncommittal about news reports that the country's nascent security forces arrested 400 Mehdi Army militia members this week.

But if the reports are true, they would jibe with recent comments made to CNN by an official close to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki that army and police have been going after Mehdi Army targets -- but purposely without fanfare.

"The government did strike recently against elements of the Mehdi Army in Samawa but we did not advertise that. We just said that we targeted outlaws," the official said last week. (Posted 11:56 a.m.)

2 dead, dozens injured in fire in high-rise building

DUBAI (CNN) -- Two construction workers were killed and dozens were injured Thursday when fire broke out during the construction of a high-rise building in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, a spokesman for the owner of the building said.

Three people were seriously injured when they tried to jump from the 36-floor Fortune Tower to escape the flames, the spokesman for Jumeirah International said.

As many as 53 people suffered from smoke inhalation, the spokesman added.

--From CNNArabic.com Editor Caroline Faraj (Posted 11:34 a.m.)

Massive storm brings hurricane-force winds to Germany

BERLIN (CNN) -- German authorities Thursday are warning residents to stay indoors as a powerful storm with hurricane-force winds batters the country, flooding coastal cities, uprooting trees and threatening to cause further damage in Berlin and other inland cities.

Germany's government has put at least 40,000 rescue workers on standby ahead of the storm, dubbed "Kyrill," which could bring wind gusts over 90 mph (150 kph).

The storm is also bringing strong wind and rain to Britain, France, the Netherlands and other parts of northern Europe.

Wind gusts up to 60 mph (96 kph) were reported in Berlin between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. (10 a.m.-11 a.m. ET), while a wind gust of 70 mph (113 kph) hit Amsterdam, CNN meteorologist Fritz Nivose reported.

He noted that the storm is still developing. (Posted 11:10 a.m.)

Iraqi spokesman counters key points in U.N. human rights report about death numbers, detentions

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- An Iraqi government spokesman said Thursday that a U.N. report saying 94 civilians are killed every day on average is "based on second-hand testimony and sometimes anonymous sources."

"The Iraqi government is trying as much as possible to apply human rights standards in Iraq despite the difficult security situation and to impose these standards on all security organs," said spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh in his weekly news briefing.

The latest bimonthly Human Rights Report of the U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq stated that 34,452 civilians were violently killed in 2006 and 36,685 were wounded. The report said that in November and December, 6,376 civilians were killed, 4,731 in Baghdad alone, most of them as a result of shootings. It said the killings were "indiscriminate" and "virtually unchecked." (Posted 11 a.m.)

'Big Brother' sponsor leaves show, decries 'racism and bullying'

LONDON (CNN) -- Mobile phone giant Carphone Warehouse withdrew its sponsorship of British television program "Celebrity Big Brother" Thursday because of a dispute over the alleged racist treatment of an Indian actress who is on the show.

The move came as media watchdog Ofcom told Channel 4 that it must act in response to the record 27,000 complaints, three times the previous record for a television show.

The row began when British housemates on the show ridiculed fellow contestant Shilpa Shetty about her food and accent. Shetty, a Bollywood actress, was called a "dog," and one contestant said Indians are thin because they undercook their food.

--From CNN's Jonathan Wald (Posted 10:56 a.m.)

Israeli government signals it is ready to give Abbas government $100 million in tax collections

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- The Israeli government, which collects taxes on behalf of the Palestinian Authority, indicated Thursday it will begin giving those tax collections to the Palestinians soon.

Miri Eisin, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's spokeswoman, told CNN that in the coming days, Israel will turn over $100 million to the Palestinian Authority after mechanisms have been established to make sure the money will not go to fund terror.

An Israeli official told CNN that the money will be conveyed no later than Friday and will be used to help strengthen the hand of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and for humanitarian purposes. (Posted 10:45 a.m.)

Devlin arraigned on kidnapping charge

UNION, Mo. (CNN) -- Michael J. Devlin, the man accused of abducting two boys who were found in his apartment last week, pleaded not guilty Thursday to a felony kidnapping charge in one of the cases.

Devlin, 41, participated in the brief proceedings via videolink from jail due to security concerns. He is charged with first-degree kidnapping in the abduction of 13-year-old Ben Ownby earlier this month.

The judge said if found guilty, Devlin faces 30 years to life in prison. (Posted 10:24 a.m.)

Humor columnist Art Buchwald dies at 81

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Art Buchwald, who took humorous jabs at Washington politicians in decades of syndicated columns, has died, a close friend said Thursday. He was 81.

Buchwald died late Wednesday, said CNN anchor Kyra Phillips. Buchwald was her mentor for 18 years, and she became a close friend of the family. The unofficial cause of death, she said, was kidney failure.

She said Buchwald's son and daughter-in-law were at his side, "holding his hand. He passed away peacefully." (Posted 10:09 a.m.)

Another car bombing in Baghdad; at least 1 dead

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- For the sixth time on Thursday, a car bomb tore through Baghdad killing at least one civilian and wounding six others, an Interior Ministry source said.

The attack happened when a parked car detonated near a police station in the western Baghdad neighborhood of al-Mashtal at about 4 p.m. (8 a.m. ET), the source said. -- From CNN's Sam Dagher (Posted 8:33 a.m.)

U.S. Secretary of State discusses Israeli-Palestinian peace with German chancellor

BERLIN (CNN) -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict following Rice's week-long trip to the Middle East.

"I believe that the whole region is looking for a way to accelerate progress and to drag toward the establishment of a Palestinian state and so this is a very important time." Rice said, sharing the impression she received from Israeli and Palestinian leaders during meetings aimed at restarting the Mideast peace process and gaining support for President Bush's plan to send more troops to Iraq.

She traveled to the West Bank, Jerusalem, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and six Persian Gulf countries. (Posted 6:37 a.m.)

U.S. sailor died in 'non-combat related incident' in southern Iraq

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- An American sailor died on Wednesday in southern Iraq in a "non-combat related incident," the U.S. military said on Thursday.

The sailor was "assigned to 16th Military Police Brigade, Camp Bucca." Camp Bucca is a detention facility.

The number of U.S. military personnel who have died in the Iraq war stands at 3,027. There have been 23 deaths in January. (Posted 6:14 a.m.)

L.A. terror task force investigates subway incident

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- The Los Angeles Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) is investigating an incident involving an unidentified man who spilled a vial of mercury inside an L.A. subway station just before Christmas and then disappeared after reporting it to transit authorities.

A statement released by the JTTF Wednesday evening shows a picture of the man taken from a frame in a surveillance video. The caption reads: "wanted for questioning in connection with unexplained activity."

That activity can be seen in a copy of the surveillance video -- obtained exclusively by CNN -- which shows the Pershing Square subway station in Los Angeles late on the evening of Dec. 22, the Friday before Christmas.-- From CNN's Deborah Feyerick (Posted 5:15 a.m.)

Report calls Con Edison's performance 'unacceptable' during NYC blackout

NEW YORK (CNN) -- In a scathing report released Wednesday, the New York State Public Service Commission called Consolidated Edison's handling of last summer's blackout that left close to 200,000 Queens residents without power for over a week "unacceptable and a gross disservice to it's customers."

The 185-page draft report meticulously lists Con Edison's errors during the nine-day blackout and makes recommendations to prevent another service failure of that magnitude.

The investigation found that about 174,000 people were affected by the outages, a number that is tens of thousands more than the 100,000 estimate that Con Ed originally gave. The blackout began July 18 after a heat wave and violent thunderstorms swept across the Northeast. --From CNN's Cheryl Bronson(Posted 5:14 a.m.)

At least 17 killed in Baghdad car bombings

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Interior Ministry officials reported at least 17 Iraqis were killed and 47 others were wounded in various bomb attacks launched throughout Iraq's capital by midday Thursday.

Three civilians were killed and seven more were wounded when a parked car exploded in the Camp Sara neighborhood in southeastern Baghdad, an Interior Ministry official said.

The bombing came hours after three car bombs detonated nearly simultaneously at a popular vegetable market in southern Baghdad's Dora district, killing 10 people and wounding 30 others.

-- From CNN's Jomana Karadsheh (Posted 4:11 a.m.)

Indian security forces kill 4 militants during gunbattle in southern Kashmir

SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir (CNN) -- In an overnight gunbattle, Indian troops and police officers killed four members of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, one of the largest militant groups in Indian-controlled Kashmir, a local police officer told CNN Thursday.

The fighting broke out when Indian security forces raided a village in the southern Kashmir Anantnag district, after a tipster alerted authorities that militants were hiding there. (Posted 4:09 a.m.)

5 Chinese telecommunications workers in Nigeria released after kidnapping

BEIJING (CNN) -- Five Chinese telecommunication workers were released Wednesday, nearly two weeks after unidentified gunmen in southern Nigeria kidnapped them, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.

The Chinese foreign ministry, commerce ministry and Chinese embassy officials in Nigeria urged those in the "relevant departments" to work towards rescuing the workers, Xinhua reported Thursday.

The incident marks the first kidnapping of Chinese nationals in the Niger Delta region, however it is not the first time foreign workers have been abducted there. --From CNN's Mukhtar Ahmad In Srinagar (Posted 3:17 a.m.)

Senate ethics reform bill hits snag

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A wide-ranging Senate ethics and lobbying reform bill ran into a roadblock late Wednesday, falling victim to a dispute between Democratic and Republican lawmakers.

The clash began when Democrats blocked an effort by Republicans to get a vote on an amendment that would have created a type of line-item veto authority for the president.

In response, Republicans voted against a Democratic motion to cut off debate on the bill, stalling a final vote on the measure unless a compromise can be reached. The Senate voted 51-46 to end debate, but that was 14 votes short of the necessary 65. (Posted 1:32 a.m.)

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