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Death penalty sought for 9/11 detainees

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- The United States will seek the death penalty against six suspects in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, an Air Force general said Monday.

Brig. Gen. Thomas Hartmann, Defense Department legal adviser, said the charges include conspiracy, murder in violation of the law of war, terrorism and material support of terrorists.

The six terrorist suspects held at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, are Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Mohammed al-Qahtani, Ramzi bin al-Shibh, Ali Abd al-Aziz Ali, Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi and Walid bin Attash.

The charges forwarded to the convening authority detail "169 overt acts allegedly committed by the defendants and uncharged co-conspirators," Hartmann said.

Hartmann said prosecutors will determine what evidence will be presented to the judge, who will rule on its admissibility. He said he did not know the fate of information CIA operatives obtained from Mohammed through waterboarding.

"There will be no secret trials. We will make every effort to make everything open," said Hartmann, who added an exception will be when classified information is presented that could compromise national security.

Nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks in New York and Washington, and a thwarted attempt that led to a plane crash in Pennsylvania.

CNN: Clinton leads Obama by 27 delegates

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- The latest delegate count puts U.S. Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in a virtual dead heat in the race for the Democratic Party presidential nomination.

CNN said Monday that its tally showed Clinton, D-N.Y., leading by 27 delegates, far closer than the 723-217 lead that Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has over former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in the Republican race.

The GOP requires 1,191 delegates to clinch the nomination while the Democrats have a minimum of 2,025 to win its nomination. CNN pegged Clinton with 1,148 delegates and Obama, D-Ill., with 1,121.

The Democratic horse race has been made more interesting by Obama's recent winning streak, in several smaller states, that has chipped away at the advantage for the former first lady built on Super Tuesday. CNN said the tight race would likely mean a pivotal role for so-called superdelegates, who don't have to make their preferences known publicly and are free to change their minds at any time.

Southern Iraq being drained of oil

BASRA, Iraq, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- The Iraqi government has accused neighboring Iran of taking over more than 15 oil wells on the Iraq-Iran border.

Inadequate security permit militia groups in the south -- allegedly backed by neighboring countries -- to loot the region's riches, particularly along the borders, the Alsumaria Iraqi satellite network reported Monday.

A U.S. report estimated oil smugglers pocketed yearly revenues of nearly $4 billion, equal to some developing states' budgets, the network reported.

Observers said recent clashes between security forces and al-Yamani groups in Basra and Nasiriyah were attempts to demonstrate that Iraqis weren't capable of taking over their country's security, among other things.

Evidence of Iran's involvement include Iranian-made grenades, explosives and anti-armor missiles, Alsumaria reported. Also, Tehran was accused of being behind the assassination of two southern governors last August.

Food market chain drops Chinese imports

MONROVIA, Calif., Feb. 11 (UPI) -- Trader Joe's, operators of 285 food stores in 23 states, has decided to stop offering single-ingredient foods from China, the company announced Monday.

The reason, said Trader Joe's spokeswoman Alison Mochizuki, is customer complaints.

"Our customers have voiced their concerns about products from this region and we have listened," Mochizuki told USA Today.

China isn't a major exporter of food to the United States. However, China been the source of half the food recalls announced by the Food and Drug Administration since Dec. 1, the report said.

Other stores have said they would continue importing food from China without a blanket ban on their products but they will rely on in-house guidelines and treat recalls on a case-by-case basis.

"There are good suppliers and there are bad suppliers in any country," Jeanne Colleluori, spokeswoman for Wegmans Food Markets, told USA Today.

U.S. Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif., dead at 80

BETHESDA, Md., Feb. 11 (UPI) -- U.S. Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif., died Monday of complications from esophageal cancer at Bethesda Naval Medical Center in Maryland at the age of 80.

Lantos, a native of Hungary who survived the Holocaust, was serving his 14th term in Congress when he announced Jan. 2 that he would not seek re-election after being diagnosed with cancer.

His congressional office announced Monday that Lantos had died.

He was chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs and was also a senior member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

"It is only in the United States that a penniless survivor of the Holocaust and a fighter in the anti-Nazi underground could have received an education, raised a family, and had the privilege of serving the lasts three decades of his life as a member of Congress," Lantos said in announcing his decision to step down.

Lantos is survived by his wife of nearly 58 years, Annette; two daughters; 18 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

His Web site says the date for a public memorial service hasn't been set.