The CNN Wire Latest updates on top stories
May 31st, 2008

IED attack kills three Iraqis

Posted: 02:47 PM ET

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) - An attack with an improvised explosive device killed three Iraqis, including a child, and wounded seven others Saturday in Baquba, the U.S. military said in a statement.

The wounded Iraqis were taken to a coalition force hospital, the statement said. The attack occurred around noon, and no other details were immediately available.

Baquba is north of Baghdad, in Diyala province, which stretches north and east of the capital and borders Iran.


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May 31st, 2008

First tropical storm of season forms near Belize

Posted: 02:15 PM ET

MIAMI, Florida (CNN) - Tropical Storm Arthur, the first named storm of the 2008 Atlantic season, formed Saturday near the coast of Belize, but was already over land and was expected to weaken later in the day, the National Hurricane Center said.

As of 2 p.m., the center of Arthur was located about 50 miles (80 km) north-northwest of Belize City, Belize, and about 185 miles (300 km) southwest of Cozumel, Mexico. Its winds were near 40 mph (65 km/hr) with higher gusts.

The storm was moving west-northwest at near 8 mph (13 km/hr), forecasters said. "On this track, the center of circulation will be moving over Yucatan today and early Sunday," the hurricane center said in an advisory.


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May 31st, 2008

First tropical storm of season forms near Belize

Posted: 01:24 PM ET

MIAMI, Florida (CNN) - Tropical Storm Arthur, the first named storm of the 2008 Atlantic season, formed Saturday near the coast of Belize, the National Hurricane Center said.

The storm was already moving inland as of 1 p.m. ET, forecasters said.

Arthur was located about 45 miles (75 km) north-northwest of Belize City and about 195 miles (315 km) south-southwest of Cozumel, Mexico, the hurricane center said in an advisory. It was moving west-northwest at near 8 mph.

"On this track, the center of circulation will be moving over Yucatan today and early Sunday," NHC said.


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May 31st, 2008

2 NATO soldiers killed in eastern Afghanistan

Posted: 12:37 PM ET

(CNN) - A suicide vehicle bombing attack killed two NATO soldiers and wounded four others Saturday in eastern Afghanistan, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said.

The "vehicle-borne" improvised explosive device struck the soldiers while they were on patrol in Nangarhar province, the ISAF said.

No other details were available, and ISAF did not release the names or nationalities of those killed.


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May 31st, 2008

Conditions 'very good' for Discovery's launch

Posted: 12:11 PM ET

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (CNN) - The outlook was "very good" for NASA's planned launch of space shuttle Discovery late Saturday afternoon, in the latest effort to carry supplies to the International Space Station, an agency spokesman said.

There was an 80 percent chance of favorable weather for the STS-124 launch at 5:02 p.m. ET at Kennedy Space Center, said launch weather officer Greg Strong.

Discovery will transport components for the Japanese Experiment Module, or Kibo science laboratory. Kibo means "hope" in Japanese. The shuttle also will carry the Japanese Remote Manipulator System. The crew will install Kibo's large pressurized module and its robotic arm system.

Space shuttle Endeavour carried the first part of the laboratory, which eventually will serve as a storage area after being fully assembled. Kibo will be attached to the port side, according to NASA.


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May 31st, 2008

5 dead in Grupo Taca Airlines jet crash in Honduras

Posted: 11:23 AM ET

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (CNN) - Five people died and more than 80 were injured Friday when a commercial airliner overshot the runway and traveled into an adjoining street, where it crushed three vehicles and cracked into three sections before coming to a halt a few feet from a house, officials said Saturday.

Grupo Taca Airlines Flight No. 390 was carrying 135 people - 124 passengers, two pilots, four flight attendants and five crew members who were being repositioned - when it started the day in San Salvador.

The Airbus A-320 landed at Toncontin International Airport amid high winds and low visibility at at 9:45 a.m. (11:45 a.m. ET), a Taca spokeswoman said.

Honduran officials said Saturday earlier reports that seven people had died were erroneous.


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May 31st, 2008

Official: Afghan security forces kill 100 Taliban militants

Posted: 11:05 AM ET

KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) - Afghan security forces, aided by coalition troops, killed 100 suspected Taliban militants in a two-day operation in southwestern Afghanistan, the Interior Ministry said Saturday.

Zemarai Bashary, a ministry spokesman, told CNN the militants were killed during operations to retake the Bakwa district in Farah province.

Among the dead were five Taliban commanders and two Afghan policemen, he said. The area is very remote, and the Taliban captured it about seven or eight months ago, according to Bashary.

Farah borders Helmand province, Afghanistan's top poppy-producing region and a major front in the war against the Taliban.


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May 31st, 2008

DNC committee kicks off meeting

Posted: 09:53 AM ET

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Members of the Democratic National Committee's Rules and Bylaws panel kicked off a highly anticipated and potentially explosive hearing Saturday focusing on how to best to handle the Michigan and Florida delegations.

Supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama disagree over how best to address the situation of Michigan and Florida, which were both penalized for holding their primaries early. The DNC excluded them from representation when the party nominates a candidate at the August convention.

But the Democratic presidential hopefuls have both said they want the Florida and Michigan delegates to attend the convention. Clinton's campaign is calling for the results of the states' primaries to be honored and the delegates awarded based on the results. That approach would help her chip away at Obama's lead in pledged delegates because she handily won both states and would be awarded a greater share of the delegates.

The panel convened behind closed doors for five hours last night, emerging at 1:30 a.m. Saturday without an agreement.


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May 31st, 2008

Marine killed in non-combat incident in Iraq

Posted: 08:00 AM ET

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) - A U.S. Marine died in Iraq from a non-combat-related incident, the military said.

No other details were released about Friday's death.

The number of U.S. service members killed in the Iraq war now stands at 4,086. There were 21 American troops killed in May.


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May 31st, 2008

Chinese officials rush to drain 'quake lake'

Posted: 07:46 AM ET

BEICHUAN COUNTY, China (CNN) - Chinese soldiers and engineers were urgently trying to dig a spillway from an earthquake-created lake that is threatening to burst its banks in this central Chinese county.

Tangjiashan Lake did not exist before the 7.9-magnitude earthquake, which struck mountainous Sichuan province May 12.

The quake caused a landslide that dammed Jianjiang River and created the lake.

The crews are working 24 hours a day to clear debris and dig the channel so water from the lake can flow in a controlled way to the lower reaches of the river.

The lake's water level has continued to rise about 2 to 3 meters (yards) every day. Authorities are concerned the lake could burst its banks, or that another aftershock or earthquake could rupture the earthen dam and cause a sudden flood of water on the communities downstream.


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