35 dead as suicide bomber targets Afghan hospital

At least one doctor was among the 35 killed and 60 wounded by the suicide truck bomber Saturday at an Afghan hospital.NEW: ISAF, U.S. and Karzai condemned the latest attacksAt least 35 died and 60 more were wounded, an official saidA doctor is among those killed in bombing at hospital, officials saySuicide bomber targets hospital in eastern Afghanistan, officials say

Kabul, Afghanistan(CNN) -- A suicide bomb attack Saturday in eastern Afghanistan has killed at least 35 people and wounded another 60, Logar province governor spokesman Den Mohammad Darwish said.

The bomber used a truck packed with explosives to target a hospital in the Azra district of Logar province, said Sifatiullah Haqmal, a member of the provincial council.

At least one doctor was killed in the blast, which occurred at the front entrance of the Maternity Hospital of Akbarkhil Azra, said Dr. Khaliq Yar, head of the provincial projects for the Medicine Refresher Course for Afghanistan.

"The terrorists demonstrated a disregard for human life when they targeted Afghans who were patients in a hospital and their visitors and relatives, and hospital personnel," the U.S. Embassy in Kabul said in a statement.

It's the second attack in as many days in Afghanistan that targeted civilians, just days after President Barack Obama outlined a plan to withdraw 30,000 troops from the country by September 2012.

Along with the Logar strike, a bomb attack in the northern province of Kunduz on Friday killed at least 10 people, attacks the embassy called "devastating."

The Afghan President Hamid Karzai and NATO's International Security Assistance Force also issued statements condemning both incidents.

"The insurgents have a complete disregard for the innocent people of Afghanistan who are trying to live in peace," ISAF spokesman Rear Adm. Vic Beck said.

The Kunduz incident on Friday occurred in the province's Khan Abad district square, said Mohibullah Saidi, a spokesman for the provincial governor.

Along with the 10 deaths, 24 people were wounded in the attack, the Ministry of Interior said. The bomb was placed in a bicycle and was detonated by remote control, Saidi said.

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Lightning strike at Mississippi military base sends 77 to hospital

NEW: The 77 were college students enrolled in Air Force ROTCThe military sends the 77 cadets to hospitals for evaluation after lightning strikeAll of them were responsive and in stable condition, the military says

(CNN) -- A lightning strike Wednesday afternoon sent 77 Air Force ROTC cadets to hospitals in the Hattiesburg, Mississippi, area, where they were all responsive and in stable condition, according to spokeswoman Maj. Deidre Musgrave of Camp Shelby.

Two of the 77 were sent by ambulance, and the remaining 75 were sent to the hospital by Camp Shelby buses, Musgrave told CNN.

All 77 were college students enrolled in the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps, which uses Camp Shelby as its summer training site, Musgrave said.

The personnel were sent for medical evaluation because they were in the area of the lightning strike at a training site on Camp Shelby around 2 p.m., Musgrave said in a news release.

"We always want to be safe," she told CNN.

The remaining personnel at Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center quickly responded to the situation to ensure that anyone injured received medical attention, Musgrave said.

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Mubarak too ill for hospital transfer

Mubarak is expected to be charged with consenting to a plan to kill protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square on January 25.Hosni Mubarak is considered too ill to be transferred to a prison hospital, prosecutors sayMubarak was recently examined by a medical teamMubarak could face trial in the killings of protesters and wasting public fundsMubarak stepped down as Egypt's ruler on February 11

(CNN) -- Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is too ill to be transferred to that country's Tora prison hospital, Egyptian prosecutors said Tuesday.

The prosecutors concluded that the hospital couldn't accommodate Mubarak's needs after the former president was examined by a medical team.

It was not immediately clear if another prison facility in the country will be able to house the deposed leader.

Mubarak and his two sons are currently facing a criminal trial for the deaths of protesters and wasting public money, according to the Egyptian general prosecutor's office.

Mubarak, who was forced from office in February, is expected to be charged with consenting to a plan to kill protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square on January 25. He allegedly ordered police officers to use live ammunition while they fired into a crowd.

The former president, who denies the charges, could be executed if he is convicted of ordering any killings, Egyptian Justice Minister Mohamed Abdelaziz al-Juindy said earlier this month.

Mubarak has been held in a military hospital in Sharm el-Sheikh since mid-April, after complaining of heart palpitations and blood pressure problems. But Aly Hassan, a judicial analyst affiliated with the ministry, recently said Egyptian courts can proceed with a case if a defendant is in poor health.

"In previous cases, suspects appeared in court with life-support machines, so Mubarak's health now does not mean that he is paralyzed," Hassan said. "If he has heart problems and doctors indicate improvement, then he can appear in court for several hours."

Mubarak stepped down as Egypt's leader on February 11, after an 18-day uprising against his nearly three decades of iron-fisted rule. He and his family, as well as former officials in his government, have been under investigation ever since.

Mubarak's attorney, Farid El Deeb, told CNN Monday the former president is "very sad and sorry" about the allegations made against him, but has no regrets.

El Deeb denied that Mubarak gave any kind of authorization to use force or live ammunition against demonstrators calling for his removal.

The attorney also claimed Mubarak is now in "very bad health," suffering from a serious heart problem and a resurgence of colon cancer.

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Hundreds of Georgia hospital patients exposed to TB

Atlanta (CNN) -- Nearly 700 patients and 100 employees at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta have been exposed to tuberculosis after coming in contact with a hospital employee carrying the disease, a hospital spokesman said Thursday.

The Georgia Department of Community Health and the hospital have identified 680 patients who were exposed to tuberculosis between November and February, said hospital spokesman Lance Skelly.

Patients will begin getting tested for tuberculosis next week, Skelly said. To date, no patients or employees have reported symptoms of tuberculosis, he said.

The hospital and the department began notifying people about the exposure this month, after an Emory employee was diagnosed in April with the infectious disease, he said. The employee did not know he had tuberculosis when he came in contact with employees and patients, the hospital said.

The hospital took extra precautions by contacting patients who were in the hospital for 90 days before the day the employee is known to have developed the disease, Skelly said. "That is a major reason the numbers are so much higher."

All hospital employees are screened for the disease and must receive screenings each year, it added. A hospital statement did not say whether the employee had been screened.

About 11 million people in the United States are infected with latent tuberculosis, which is symptom-free and is not contagious.

Of those, 5 to 10 percent go on to develop active tuberculosis, which can be spread to others through the air, such as through coughing or sneezing. It can be fatal if not properly treated.

Symptoms of tuberculosis include chest pain, a bad cough (possibly with blood), weakness and a fever. While tuberculosis usually impacts the lungs, the kidneys, brain and spine may also be affected.

Both the number and rate of tuberculosis cases has been on the decline since 1993, according to the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The number of reported deaths nationwide dropped from 644 in 2006 to 544 in 2007, the most recent year for which such data is available, the CDC said.

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Suicide bomber kills at least 6 in Kabul hospital (Reuters)

KABUL (Reuters) – A suicide bomber killed at least six people and wounded 23 more at a military hospital in a heavily-guarded area of the Afghan capital Kabul on Saturday, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The bomber struck at 12:30 p.m. local time (5 a.m. EDT) in the cafeteria of the hospital where medical students were eating lunch, said Mohammad Zahir, head of the police crime investigation unit. He added the dead were students.

The hospital is located in a high-security area near the U.S. embassy and where several other foreign embassies and international organizations operate.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in an emailed statement that the group had sent two suicide bombers into the hospital and killed many. The Taliban launched a long-awaited "spring offensive" last month.

Despite escalating violence in the 10th year of an increasingly unpopular war in Afghanistan, Kabul is relatively peaceful. In early April, a suicide bomber attacked an Afghan army bus on the outskirts of the capital, wounding 10 soldiers and civilians.

The Taliban, which often inflates the number of casualties it inflicts, vowed last month to carry out attacks, including suicide bombings, on foreign and Afghan troops and government officials.

Despite the presence of up to 150,000 foreign troops, violence across Afghanistan is at its worst since the 2001 overthrow of the Taliban government by U.S.-backed Afghan forces, and last year saw record casualties on both sides.

(Writing by Amie Ferris-Rotman; Editing by Alex Richardson)

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Kabul hospital attack kills 6 - official

Members of the Afghan military on Saturday stand guard on the road that leads to the military hospital that was attacked.NEW: ISAF calls the attack "abhorrent" and the "lowest" kind of actionA memo from Gen. David Petraeus says big attacks are likely this summerThe Taliban says two members carried out suicide attacks at the hospital

Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A suicide bombing ripped through a military hospital in Kabul on Saturday as a warning surfaced from the commander of coalition forces in Afghanistan of increased "high-profile attacks" over the summer.

In a memorandum to NATO's International Security Assistance Force, Gen. David Petraeus said it likely that insurgents will pursue such operations over the coming months in an attempt to demonstrate their ability to strike.

He called on international forces to balance their tactical needs with those of the civilian population.

"These attacks may increase the risk of civilian casualties and put Afghan and ISAF forces in difficult situations," Petraeus said in a memorandum made public Saturday.

"In the face of such enemy actions, we must continue our efforts to reduce civilian casualties to an absolute minimum."

The Kabul attack underscores Petraeus' warning.

Six people were killed and 26 others were injured in the bombing, according to Zahir Azimi, a ministry of defense spokesman.

A Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility. Zabiullah Mojahed told CNN that 51 people had died and two of the group's members carried out suicide attacks on the Charsd Bester military.

"One of them detonated inside the eating place, and the second one was shot to death, and now the operation is over," he said.

"As a result, 51 people (have) been killed, including foreigners."

Afghan President Hamid Karzai deplored the action, and ISAF spokesman Rear Adm. Vic Beck, called the strike "abhorrent," saying it "represents the lowest, most cowardly attack."

The Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan Hospital, a 400 bed-hospital, is the largest medical military facility in the country and provides medical services to Afghan soldiers and their families, the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said.

The strike occured when medical students where at lunch, and the United Nations emphasized that international humanitarian law bans attacks on medical workers and hospitals.

"All medical personnel and facilities must be respected and protected in all circumstances. Further, directing an attack against a zone established to shelter wounded and sick persons, and civilians from the effects of hostilities, is also illegal and prohibited. As parties to the conflict, all anti-government elements have clear responsibilities under international humanitarian law to protect civilians and to not attack them," the U.N. Afghan mission said in a statement.

Petraeus' memorandum, posted on the ISAF website, comes as the Taliban and al Qaeda have claimed responsibility for an increased number of attacks against security forces in Afghanistan and U.S. targets in Pakistan.

Both groups have said many of the attacks were in retaliation after U.S. commandos killed Osama bin Laden this month.

Petraeus ordered forces to review civilian casualty directives, saying troops must achieve "the proper balance between aggressiveness and patience."

Anger in Afghanistan and Pakistan over civilian casualties has mounted in recent months following NATO air strikes that have killed dozens along their shared border.

In March, Defense Secretary Robert Gates offered a personal apology to Afghan President Hamid Karzai for the killings of nine boys in a helicopter attack targeting insurgents.

The apology came after Karzai said one made earlier by Petraeus was insufficient.

Weeks later, the international force said civilians were accidentally killed during a NATO airstrike in Afghanistan's Helmand province. The target was two vehicles believed to be carrying a Taliban leader, ISAF said.

Petraeus' warning also comes as he must decide on the number of troop reductions in Afghanistan to meet President Barack Obama's self-imposed deadline to begin withdrawing U.S. forces by July.

The president has repeatedly said he is confident the United States can meet the self-imposed deadline without compromising Afghan security, though military commanders and government officials have raised concern about the readiness of Afghan security forces.

Petraeus testified earlier this year before Congress about the plans, saying he was likely to recommend that some combat troops be among the first to return to the United States.

He has said significant progress has been made against the Taliban over the past five years. But he also has warned the progress is "fragile and reversible."

"We are at a pivotal moment in our work here, and I believe it would be valuable for every leader in ISAF to reread these documents and to internalize and employ the principles in them," Petraeus said in memorandum dated May 15, 2011.

CNN's Matiullah Mati contributed to this report

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Woman found in Nevada wilderness moved to Canadian hospital

Rita Chretien was rescued last week after being stranded for 49 days. Authorities are still searching for husband Albert.Rita and her husband Albert Chretien got lost in the Nevada wilderness March 19
She was found on Friday, 49 days later
Her husband is still missing

(CNN) -- The Canadian woman who was rescued last week after being stranded and alone for 49 days in a Nevada wilderness has transferred from an Idaho hospital to one in her home country, a hospital statement said early Wednesday.

Rita Chretien, 56, was transported Tuesday afternoon from St. Luke's Magic Valley Medical Center in Twin Falls to a British Columbia hospital, according to the medical center. She was upgraded to good from fair condition earlier in the day.

"She is enjoying solid foods and had a dinner of salmon, rice and green beans last night," a hospital statement said Tuesday. "This morning she had a breakfast burrito with homemade salsa. A 'bowl of soul' coffee was brought to her from a local coffee house. It included a sprinkle of cinnamon, nutmeg and a dollop of whipped cream, which Rita said was delicious."

Doctors said the indicators of her recovery are "very good," the statement said.

Meanwhile, authorities are still searching for her husband, Raymond, who left his wife in their van on March 22 so that he could find help.

Scores of men and women had searched for the Chretiens since the Penticton, British Columbia, residents were last seen March 19 leaving a Shell gas station convenience store in Baker City, Oregon.

On Friday, more than a month later, hunters wandered into the area where the van was sitting.

Rita Chretien shot up from her spot in the 2000 Chevrolet Astro's back seat when she heard them outside, mustered strength to open the door and stepped out shoeless. She waved.

While the odds are dwindling that Albert Chretien will be found alive, authorities haven't ruled it out.

Rita Chretien lived off the little food she had -- beef jerky, some trail mix, fish oil pills and one piece of hard candy per day. She went outside for a walk once a day, using the sunlight to melt snow for drinking water and going to a nearby stream.

She read a few books (some several times) and the Bible and recorded her thoughts in a journal.

The Chretiens were en route to a trade show convention in Las Vegas when they turned off the highway onto a forest service road that led into Nevada, intending to enjoy the "scenic route," her son said, who'd heard the full story from his weakened mother.

The couple took some wrong turns and had thought, based on their map, that their road was better than it was. Pictures released by the sheriff's department show the van in an extremely remote area with no visible roads.

The van was stuck in caked mud, with a shovel pictured near the back of the van, indicating that someone had been trying to free the vehicle from the mud.

CNN's Michael Martinez contributed to this story.

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