2 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, March 27, 2002 NATION/WORLD6 Death toll nears 2,000 after Afghan quake NEWS 1IN BRIEFf 'I" AON WORL 'I ; ;. KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - An earthquake devastated mountain villages in northern Afghanistan, where officials yesterday estimated at least 1,800 people died and thousands more were injured in a region already hard-hit by hunger, drought and war. At the scene, the military commander from the Baglan region said the Monday night quake col- lapsed 20,000 mud-brick houses. Gen. Haider Kahn estimated between 600 and 1,000 people remained trapped and said the death toll could hit 2,000. Yusuf Nuristani, a government spokesman, told reporters in Kabul that the death toll had reached 1,800 by yesterday afternoon with 2,000 injured. Kabul television later reported 5,000 hurt. In Geneva, U.N. spokeswoman Elisabeth 'Byrs said Afghan authorities- had initially reported the death toll could reach 4,800. Aid agencies said thousands - perhaps tens of thousands - were homeless, as aftershocks contin- ued to jolt the majestic Hindu Kush mountains that tower above Kabul and separate the capital from the extreme north of the country. There were fears of landslides as the earth contin- ued to heave after the Monday night quake, which was centered about 105 miles north of Kabul. No Americans or foreigners were known to be among the missing or dead. Brig. Gen. John Rosa told a Pentagon briefing that no coalition forces were hurt by the quake.t The old part of Nahrin town was leveled and some 40 other villages on Nahrin plain were affect- ed, prompting aid groups to gear up to provide shelter for 6,000 to 7,000 families in that area alone, U.N. spokesman Manoel de Alemida e Silva said. "These people were hit by 20 years of war, three to-four years of drought and now comes the earthquake," said Mirielle Borne, an aid worker with the independent agency ACTED who arrived in the stricken town as night fell yester- day. "It just keeps piling up. They just take it as it comes. It's a matter of holding on to the next day." Immediate concerns included getting water, food and shelter to the area, where 80 percent of the fami- lies had been targeted before the quake to receive wheat from the World Food Program. Borne said she expected villagers from even more remote regions to arrive in district centers by donkey or on foot in coming days, seeking help and bringing word of additional damage and casualties. The only good news, she said, was the weather. "It is cold, but there is no rain or snow, and people are either sleeping at relatives homes or are sheltering in the rubble." Corporations sued for slave reparations JERUSALEM . Arafat will not attend peace summit Yasser Arafat decided yesterday not to attend a key Arab summit, and his Cabi- net accused Israel of trying to "blackmail" the Palestinian leader with tough con- ditions for letting him go. Arafat's absence could undermine Arab support for a Saudi peace overture being presented in Beirut. Despite calls by the United States that he let Arafat go to the summit, Sharon said "conditions are not ripe" to do so. He insisted the Palestinian leader call a cease-fire first and that Washington back any Israeli ddcision to bar Arafat from returning home if there is violence during his absence. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher insisted Israel grant a "round trip" for Arafat to and from the summit, which opens in the Lebanese capital tomorrow. Underscoring the incendiary situation on the ground, two observers from an international force in the West Bank were shot and killed. The Israeli military said Palestinians opened fire on their car on a road used mostly by Jewish settlers north of Hebron, where the force is stationed. The two observers - from Turkey and Switzerland - were the first members of the force to be killed. The monitoring group was created in 1994 as part of an agreement dividing Hebron into Palestinian and Israeli-controlled zones. Bush names surgeon general, NIH director President Bush picked a made-for-Hollywood trauma surgeon to be the nation's top doctor yesterday after more than a year of searching. He also chose an Alger- ian-born radiologist to run the government's premier medical research facility. Bush nominated Richard Carmona, the Arizona surgeon and SWAT team cop, as surgeon general and Johns Hopkins University medical school administrator Elias Zerhouni to direct the National Institutes of Health. "These are distinguished physicians who have worked tirelessly to save lives and to improve lives," Bush said. Carmona, whose expertise also includes terrorism preparedness, once dropped from a helicopter to save someone stranded on a cliff. "I worried that maybe he wasn't the best guy to educate our Americans about reducing health risks," Bush joked at a White House ceremony highlighting the colorful life stories of his nominees. The president made clear that he expects Zerhouni, who will manage more than $20 billion in medical research grants, to hew to White House opposition to govern- ment-sponsored studies on new embryonic stem cells and cloning of human tissue. NEW YORK (AP) - A federal law- suit seeking unspecified reparations for the 35 million descendants of African slaves was filed yesterday against the Aetna Insurance Company, the FleetBoston financial services group and railroad giant CSX. The lawsuit also claims that as many as 1,000 unidentified corporations may have profited from slavery and some- times helped it continue in the United States between 1619 and 1865., "The practice of slavery constituted an immoral and inhumane depravation of Africans' life, liberty, African citi- zenship rights, cultural heritage and it further deprived them of the fruits of their own labor," the lawsuit said. In a statement, Aetna said, "We do not believe a court would permit a law- suit over events which - however regrettable - occurred hundreds of years ago. These issues in no way reflect Aetna today." CSX said the suit had no merit and should be dismissed. "Slavery was a tragic chapter in our nation's history," the company said in a statement. "It is a history shared by every American, and its impacts can- not be attributed to any single compa- ny or industry." Officials at FleetBoston did not immediately return calls seeking comment. Lawyer Roger Wareham said the lawsuit sought damages that would be put into a fund to improve the health, education and housing opportunities for African Americans. "This is not about individuals receiv- ing checks in their mailbox," he said. The plaintiff in the lawsuit was iden- tified as Deadria Farmer-Paellmann, who said that she went to law school with the goal of eventually suing for damages as a result of slavery. She said as many as 60 companies had cooperated with her five years of research and provided documents showing how they had assisted the institution of slavery. Militar hunts for al- aida lea er KHARWAR, Afghanistan (AP) - In the mountains and gorges of east- ern Afghanistan, U.S. aircraft are hunting for al-Qaida and Taliban fighters after local Afghan command- ers reported sightings of al-Qaida's second in command. Egyptian Ayman al-Zawahri report- edly was traveling on horseback with three senior clerics and 26 al-Qaida officials, all Arabs. U.S. officials, how- ever, say there is no credible evidence al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden or his top aide is among the group. Al-Zawahri, the spiritual adviser and personal physician to bin Laden, was last seen about a week ago near the site of this month's Operation Anaconda battles between U.S. troops and al- Qaida fugitives in neighboring Paktia province, according to Mohammed Momen, an Afghan intelligence officer from Gardez.- From there, Momen and other Afghan authorities believe al-Zawahri made his way to this part of eastern Afghanistan's Logar province, about 55 miles southwest of Kabul. It is a region with a long history of support for the Taliban. "We are sure, 100 percent, they came in this direction," Momen said as his car lunged and lurched over a rock- strewn road through the Darang Gorge that leads to Kharwar - a forlorn and parched plain flanked by snow- streaked mountains. Overhead, a U.S. reconnaissance plane could be heard prowling the skies. Four distinctive jet streams of B-52 bombers were seen against the blue sky. Momen said he had received word that al-Zawahri plans a meeting with his supporters sometime this week in one of three places. - Kharwar, Charkh or Sur Tangi Gorge. All are within 50 miles of each other. At the Pentagon, U.S. military officials played down reports that al- Zawahri or bin Laden himself have been sighted. In December, U.S. officials, acting on tips from Afghan allies, said they believed bin Laden was cornered in the Tora Bora cave complex. When the area was over- run, no trace of bin Laden was found. "It's almost a weekly occurrence that we get a couple of reports," of sight- ings. Pentagon spokeswoman Victoria WASHINGTON Ruling allows drug users to be evicted The Supreme Court reinforced a hard line against drugs yesterday, backing rules that permit eviction of families from federally subsi- dized housing if any family mem- ber or guest is involved in narcotics. The decision came a week after justices indicated they were ready to allow wider drug-testing in schools, and they are also handling narcotics cases this year that could condone government intrusion for public safety. Chief Justice William Rehnquist, quoting Congress, wrote in the housing decision that "with drugs leading to murders, muggings, and other forms of violence against ten- ants," aggressive eviction policies are reasonable. He also cited Congress' desire to end "the reign of terror" in public housing. WASHINGTON Free speech rights claimed for judges Candidates for judgeships should' be able to tell voters what kind of judge they are getting, a lawyer trying to overturn state gag orders for judicial candidates argued to the Supreme Court yesterday. "The people can be trusted to make the decisions ... as long as they have the information to make those deci- sions," lawyer James Bopp argued on behalf of the Minnesota Republican party and a failed Republican candidate for a state judgeship. Greg Wersal claims he was unconsti- tutionally silenced when he wanted to tell Minnesota voters how, as a state judge, he would be tough on criminals. Wersal argues that he was at a huge dis- advantage as he began a 1998 race against Alan Page, a former Minnesota Vikings football star, and needed to make himself stand out. WASHINGTON Condit subpoenaed in Levy investigation Rep. Gary Condit (D-Calif.), whose re-election bid ended earlier this month with a defeat in the California state pri- mary, is getting no rest from authorities probing the disappearance of former intern Chandra Levy. Condit, who publicly has said only that he shared a "very close" relationship with Levy, surrendered bank statements, phone records and other materials from his con- gressional office under subpoena last fall. Now he has been subpoenaed to testify before a Washington grand jury within the next two weeks. News of the subpoena was first reported in The Washington Post. His appearance will represent the first sworn testimony for the six-term lawmaker. Condit has been questioned repeatedly by law enforcement officials' since Levy disappeared last spring, but never before under oath. - Compiled from Daily wire reports. 9°° 9 11'° 13~ 13°° N.E.R.D. SIMPLE PLAN in Search Of... No Helmets, No Pads...Just calls Parental Adisory AVALANCHES BIG HEAD TODD & THE MONSTERS Since I Left You Riviera IV 99 13~ 13 ° 13 ° The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the University of Michigan. 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Melanie Kebler, Timothy Najmolhoda I I _ 4 E i' -I i"tZ GRAVITY KILLS Superstarved MINISTRY Sphinctour DuanilGaa a lmrr vvug ao cy Rwlalcap ouan.v-aa mwnws DISPLAY SALES Micah Winter, Manager ASSOCIATF MANAGER: Carrie Wozniak STAFF: AyaIa arka rad Davies, Belinda Chung, Joanna Eisen, Laura Frank, Ellen Gagnet, Rebecca Goodman, Jennifer Kaczmarek, Zipo Lat, Julie Lee, Leslie Olinek, Anne Sause, Tarah Saxon, Debbie Shapiro, Nicole Siegel, David Soberman, Ryan Zuckerman I -u-A ~f--- & 0-0-% - - -- i v. - .. Y. - Nlnn w I [LASSIFIED SALES Esther Choi, Manager r1 Ah