Washington, D.C.

Judge holds reporter in contempt for CIA probe

A federal judge held a reporter for Time magazine in contempt of court Monday for refusing to testify before a grand jury investigating the leak of the identity of a covert CIA officer.

In an order issued July 20 but not made public until Monday, U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan ruled that Time’s Matthew Cooper and “Meet the Press” host Tim Russert were required to testify “regarding alleged conversations they had with a specified executive branch official.”

NBC News issued a statement saying that Russert already had been interviewed under oath by prosecutors. The interview concerned a July 2003 phone conversation he had with Vice President Cheney’s chief of staff, Lewis “Scooter” Libby.

Time and Cooper, however, did not agree to be interviewed and intend to appeal the judge’s ruling, Managing Editor Jim Kelly said.

Turkey

Terror bombings reported

Explosions rocked two small tourist hotels and a gas plant early today in Istanbul in apparent terrorist strikes, killing at least one person and injuring seven others, police said.

The blasts came amid heightened security concerns in Turkey, the focus of earlier terror attacks including four suicide truck bombings in November blamed on al-Qaida that killed more than 60 people in Istanbul.

Workers at the Pars hotel said they received an anonymous call only 10 minutes before the explosion saying there was a bomb in a room.

“It appears to be a terrorist attack,” Police Chief Celalettin Cerrah said of the blasts, according to the Anatolia news agency.

Afghanistan

Americans pledge restraint in military sweeps

The top U.S. general in Afghanistan promised President Hamid Karzai to tone down aggressive tactics in sweeps for Taliban-led insurgents and to ensure U.S. troops were more sensitive to Afghans’ conservative ways, the military said Monday.

Already fending off allegations of prisoner abuse, Gen. David Barno agreed that his men would try to smash in fewer doors and handcuff fewer villagers to ease resentment and foster goodwill, a military spokesman said.

Nearly three years after the 9-11 attacks, the U.S. military is still searching for al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden and Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar, but Maj. Scott Nelson said the new tactics would not hamper the hunt for militants.