2 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, April 9, 2004 NATION/WORLD Rice defends Bush's 9/11 actions NEWS IN BRIEF HEADLINES FROM AROUND THE WOLD WASHINGTON (AP) - Under con- .Rtheir Texas ranch, watched Rice's testi- tentious questioning, national security mony on television. RAMALLAH, West Bank adviser Condoleezza Rice testified yes- The appearance struck sparks on n C about l terday "there was no silver bullet that mattrssofformandssustanc.sti c about e~Alct in could have prevented" the deadly terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and disputed suggestions that President Bush failed to focus on the threat of strikes in advance. Bush "understood the threat, and he understood its importance," she told a national commission investi- gating the worst terror attacks in the nation's history. In nearly three hours in the witness chair, Rice stoutly defended Bush when Democrats on the commission raised questions based on an Aug. 6 classified memo titled "Bin Laden determined to attack inside United States." Her appearance, televised national- ly, also contained a series of implicit and explicit rebuttals to a series of politically damaging charges made two weeks ago by former terrorism aide Richard Clarke. Unlike Clarke, Rice offered no apolo- gy for the failure to prevent the attacks. Instead, with relatives of the Sept. 11 victims inside the packed hearing room, she said, "as an officer of government on duty that day, I will never forget the sorrow and the anger I felt." Rice was the only public witness of the day, although the commission Several Democrats urged Rice to keep her answers shorter, saying their time for questions was limited. Richard Ben-Veniste, a Democratic member of the commission, first raised the issue of the classified memo, saying it reported that "preparations were being made consistent with hijackings within the United States." Rice described it differently. "It was historical information based on old reporting. There was no new threat information. And it did not, in fact, warn of any coming attacks inside the United States," she said. Thomas Kean, the commission's Republican chairman, said at the hearing's end that the panel has asked to have a document declassified. National Security Council spokesman Sean McCormack said later, "We have every intention" of doing so, possibly by day's end. Relatives of the victims applauded at several points when former Sen. Bob Kerrey and others challenged Rice's testimony. Her turn in the witness chair over, Bush's aide shook hands with several of relatives, telling one she was sorry for her loss. The Palestinian foreign minister said yesterday an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza could clear the way for long-delayed elections that would include militant groups - a sign that power-sharing talks could give Islamic groups an official role, despite U.S. and Israeli misgivings. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has pro- posed a unilateral withdrawal from Gaza and a smaller pullback in the West Bank in the absence of peace moves. Though the Gaza pullout is not expected for up to a year, the prospect has led to a flurry of meetings among Palestinian factions and speculation about how strong the Islamic militant groups' influence would be afterward. Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath said Palestinians are "enthu- siastic" about new elections after the Israelis leave. "We hope this (withdrawal) will pave the road for a Palestinian general election with participation with Hamas," he told The Associated Press. Hamas leaders were not available for comment. Palestinians have had only one general election since the Palestinian Authority was set up in 1994. Hamas boycotted the 1996 voting, refusing to recognize the Palestinian Authority, set up in an interim peace accord with Israel. Hamas does not accept a Jewish state in the Middle East. BOSTON Princeton seeks to fight inflation of grades College grades have been creeping steadily upward for 30 years, but Princeton University may try to break the trend by rationing the number of A's that can be awarded. The proposal has academics wondering already about the possible impact at other schools. In what would be.the strongest measure to combat grade inflation by an elite university, Princeton faculty will vote later this month on a plan that would require each academic department to award an A-plus, A or A-minus for no more than 35 percent of its grades. A's have been awarded 46 percent of the time in recent years at Princeton, up from 31 percent in the mid-1970s. Since 1998, the New Jersey school has been encouraging its faculty to crack down, but marks have kept rising. Finally, Princeton administrators decided that the only solution would be to ration top grades. "I think it's tremendously significant that Princeton is doing this, and I do think it will have a ripple effect," said Bradford Wilson, executive director of the National Association of Scholars, a group that has spoken out against grade inflation, and also a part-time teacher at Princeton. *I National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice is sworn in before testifying to the independent commission investigating the Sept. 11 attack yesterday In Washington. later questioned former President although he will be joined by Vice Bill Clinton privately for more than President Dick Cheney. three hours. Bush also has agreed to White House officials said the presi- meet in private with the panel, dent and his wife, Laura, at home on SOLE Continued from Page 1. information. The committee also suggested that the University con- sult with its licensees, as well as the Collegiate Licensing Company, the Workers' Rights Consortium and the Fair Labor Association, to find the best method to collect wage data and a systematic way to deal with noncompli- ant licensees. In an e-mail sent to the committee, Coleman said she "com- mends the members of the committee for their diligence, thoughtfulness and dedication." Committee chair Sioban Harlow said she is pleased with Coleman's rapid reply. "She clearly takes the issue seriously, and I look forward to her response," Harlow said. SOLE member Diana Parker emphasized how much effort SOLE has put into bringing attention to the issue. "Wage disclosure has been one of our two major campaigns this semester," she said. The other main project has been to support LEO negotiations with the University. The advisory committee will meet again April 16 to determine their next step, based on how the administration responds. The committee plans to continue working with the Universi- ty on the issue regardless of the board's final decision. SOLE members said they will hold a rally that day to increase student awareness on the issue. "We're going to have to step up the pressure and prove to the executive board that students support wage disclosure," SOLE member Marlowe Coolican said. Iraqi militants kidnap three Japanese civilians BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - In a dramatic video released yesterday, insurgents revealed they had kidnapped three Japanese and threatened to burn them alive in three days unless Japan agrees to withdraw its troops from Iraq. Armed with assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, the kidnappers shouted "Allahu akbar" - God is great - in the video and held knives to the throats of the Japanese, who screamed and whimpered in terror. Japan's government said it has no plans to pull troops out of Iraq in response to the threat, which came amid a series of other kidnappings targeting civilians. In addition, fighting continued in Fallujah where insurgents fought U.S. troops from two mosques. Some of the worst violence since the U.S. invaded Iraq almost 13 months ago, has occurred in this southern city in the past week. . Two Arab residents of east Jerusalem _ one an Israeli citizen working for a U.S. aid group - and seven South Korean Christian missionaries were detained Thursday, though the Koreans were released. The events suggested a new tactic by insurgents to pressure the governments of Washington's allies in Iraq, and posed dire implications for U.N. work- ers, journalists, religious groups, security person- nel and other civilians doing business here. Foreigners have been detained by gunmen for brief periods in the past - usually in robberies - and Iraqi citizens have been kidnapped and held for ransom by criminals. But this was the first time foreigners have been snatched for political reasons, and the first such dramatic video ultimatum. The Arabic TV station AI-Jazeera, broadcasting to Iraq and the rest of the Arab world, aired por- tions of the video of the Japanese hostages released by a previously unknown group calling itself the "Mujahedeen Squadrons." It showed two men and one woman surrounded by gunmen wear- ing black, and close-ups of the captives' passports. Al-Jazeera editors said the three were taken hostage in southern Iraq, where black-clad Shiite militiamen have been engaged in an uprising this week. The exact date of their capture was not known. ; WASHINGTON President ready to sign new pension bill The Senate sent to the president yes- terday legislation that could save employer sponsors of pension plans $80 billion over the next two years. This. money could provide a sub- stantial boost to business investment and hiring around the country. The 78-19 vote on the pension relief bill came just a week before many con- tributors to single employer plans have to make quarterly payments, and means that millions of dollars that would have had to go into pension funds can be diverted to more immediately produc- tive activities. The White House called the Sen- ate vote "a victory for millions of Americans who count on pensions for their retirement," saying it will "help protect the integrity" of work- ers' pensions. WASHINGTON Gas prices will rise in next few months Gasoline prices will rise another nickel a gallon nationwide before the end of June but return to current levels before fall, the government said yesterday, warn- ing of possible price spikes especially in the Northeast and West Coast markets. The Energy Department estimated that the average price at the pump - $1.78 a gallon in the latest survey this week - would continue to rise in the coming months, averaging about $1.81 a gallon for the three months ending in June. Prices over the April to September period were expected to average $1.76 a gallon nationwide, a record high for the summer driving season and 20 cents a gallon more than last year, according to the Energy Information Administration summer fuels report released yesterday. MOUNT VERNON, Ohio Businessman hopes to offset job losses The Bush administration yesterday tapped a California businessman as manufacturing czar, making the announcement at a factory in a state hit hard by job losses. The announcement came about a month after the first pick for the job was criticized for cutting U.S. jobs and shifting work to China. Commerce Secretary Don Evans said the administration would nominate Al Frink, co-founder of a rug and carpet company, as assistant commerce secre- tary of manufacturing and services. Frink is subject to Senate confirmation. Evans made the announcement at Ariel Corp., which employs 460 people at its natural gas compressor plant in Ohio. - Compiled from Daily wire reports 4 U K WWWMICHIGANDAILY.COM The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the University of Michigan. One copy is available free of charge to all readers. 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