2 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, October 8, 2004
4
NATION/WORLD
0
Mghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - ing challenges.
Afghanistan's first-ever presidential vote The Taliban po
puts this nation of mud-brick houses and a return to power
tribal fiefdoms on the edge of an improb- Afghanistan's still L
able experiment with democracy. al army is backed
Osama bin Laden's training bases U.S.-led coalition
have been uprooted, and Afghanistan is troops. But its har
no longer a haven for international ter- far from defeated.
rorists. But three years to the day since a Taliban and al-
U.S. bombing campaign toppled the Tal- kept up a steady
iban regime, Islamic militancy lives on, - especially in the
the drug trade is booming and warlords nation. Nearly 1,0(
hold sway over much of the country. 30 American soldi
Hamid Karzai, the nation's unrelent- in political violenc
ingly optimistic interim president, is the hardly a picture of
overwhelming favorite to win tomor- The U.S. milita
row's vote against a large field of chal- gency is ineffect
lengers, though it is not clear yet if he elections will pers
will get the majority necessary to avoid still fighting to pu
a runoff. ons and seek a rec
What awaits after victory is a new government.
nation with great promise, but daunt- Maj. Gen. Eric
to hold first elections NEWS IN BRIEF
no real threat of Hamid Karzai, the interim president, is the
se
. ,
, at least as long as
undermanned nation-
by an 18,000-strong
and 9,000 NATO
rd-line followers are
Qaida fighters have
drumbeat of attacks
south and east of the
00 people, including
ers, have been killed
e so far this year -
stability.
ry insists the insur-
ive and hopes the
suade some of those
ut down their weap-
onciliation with the
c Olson, the No. 2
overwhelming favorite to win tomorrow's
presidential election.
commander of U.S. forces here, cau-
tioned that true peace will take many
years to accomplish, perhaps longer
than some in the U.S.-led coalition
had bargained for.
"This is a long fight. This is not
something that is going to end after
the elections," he said last week. "I
would venture to say it is not going
to end in the next 10 years, but ulti-
mately it's a winnable situation."
Despite the destruction of their terror
bases, bin Laden and his No. 2, Ayman
al-Zawahri, remain fugitives, probably
living in the mountain regions between
Afghanistan and Pakistan. U.S. offi-
cials say the men are still believed to be
actively plotting attacks.
But the main threats to Afghanistan's
stability probably lie elsewhere - in
the inability of the government to curb
regional warlords, and the ballooning
heroin and opium trade.
Karzai has taken steps in recent months
to exert more control - removing strong-
man Ismail Khan as governor of the west-
ern city of Herat, dumping Tajik faction
leader Mohammed Fahim from his presi-
dential ticket and pushing the pace of a
much-delayed program to disarm militias.
The president has said the warlords are his
greatest preoccupation.
Blast oni
Three car bombs
probably linked,
officials say
EILAT, Israel (AP) - An explo-
sion tore through a resort hotel in
Egypt's Sinai Peninsula where Israe-
lis were vacationing at the end of a
Jewish holiday yesterday night, kill-
ing at least 35 people and wounding
more than 160, officials said.
Israeli security officials said a car
bomb caused the explosion, which was
followed by two smaller blasts at other
tourist sites in the Sinai. Witnesses gave
reports that car bombs caused all three,
but Egyptian officials said they had no
evidence of terrorism.
The huge blast collapsed a 10-story
wing of the luxury Hilton hotel built
by Israel when it controlled Taba
from 1967 to 1989.
Israelis described a chaotic scene as
the explosion brought the top floors of the
hotel crashing into the lobby.
Meir Frajun said his three children
were playing one floor below the
lobby when the blast tore through the
building. He went down but found
only two of them.
CENTER
Continued from page 1.
But due to less funding, this summer's
orientation programs were run by 41
volunteers, including students, retired
faculty and members of the Ann Arbor
community.
Altamirano said many of the volunteers
were international students, who were
especially eager to help the program.
As a result of the highly motivated and
energetic people who volunteered, the
transition from paid peer advisors was
smooth and the orientation was "very
successful," said Altamirano.
International students are required
to attend orientation at the start of the
term. They receive practical informa-
tion and advice on how to manage their
finances, find employment on campus
and how to prepare for harsh Ann Arbor
winters. Additionally, there are various
workshops for cross-cultural adjustment
that introduce the students to the local
Egypt-Israeli
"Everything was filled with smoke,"
Frajun told The Associated Press after
crossing into the nearby Israeli resort of
Eilat. "We were hysterically looking for
the child. In the end we found him sitting
outside with an Arab guest of the hotel."
Four hours after the blast, Israel's mili-
tary took command of the scene, accord-
ing to the army spokeswoman, Brig.
Gen. Ruth Yaron, but there were delays
in sending Israeli forces and rescue work-
ers across the tense border.
Israel Radio reported early today that
at least 35 people were killed in the blast.
The explosions came a month after
the Israeli government urged citizens not
to visit Egypt, citing a "concrete" terror
threat to tourists in an area. The warning,
issued Sept. 9 by the counterterrorism
center in Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's
office, identified the Sinai Peninsula as
the target of a potential attack.
The initial blast, about 10 p.m., rocked
the Hilton hotel in the Taba resort, only
yards from the Israeli border.
"The whole front of the hotel has col-
lapsed. There are dozens of people on the
floor, lots of blood," witness Yigal Vakni An injured m:
told Army Radio. "I am standing outside yesterday aft
of the hotel, the whole thing is burning
and they have nothing to put it out with." A car rent
A spokesman for the rescue workers, Mohammed
Yerucham Mendola, said others were storeroom ar
trapped in the debris. explosion or
border kills 35
BAGHDAD, Iraq
isurgents hit Baghdad hotel with rockets
Rockets struck a Baghdad hotel housing foreign contractors and journalists
late yesterday, drawing return fire and underscoring the precarious security in
the heart of the Iraqi capital. Outside Baghdad, roadside bombings killed two
more American soldiers.
The attacks came as an aide to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr offered to
disarm his Mahdi Army militia in a move that could bring an end to weeks of fight-
ing in Baghdad's Shiite district Sadr City. The government cautiously welcomed
the offer and suggested other militant groups also lay down their arms.
Three Katyusha rockets slammed into the Sheraton hotel, the Interior Min-
istry said, triggering thunderous explosions, shattering windows and setting
off small fires. Dazed guests, including Western journalists, contractors and
a bride and groom on their wedding night stumbled to safety through the
smoke and debris.
"I made a mistake by booking at the Sheraton," said Hayer Abdul Zahra, holding
his shivering bride under his arm. "I knew something like this would happen."
There were no deaths or serious injuries, Iraqi officials said.
WASHINGTON
DeLay scandals draw Dems, GOP into tussle
Leading House Republicans and Democrats exchanged harsh recriminations
yesterday over the second ethics committee rebuke in a week for Rep. Tom DeLay,
the GOP's No. 2 leader.
The day after the 57-year-old Texan was cited by the House ethics committee for
questionable conduct, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said his Republican colleagues
should decide whether "they want an ethically unfit person to be their majority leader
or do they want to remove the ethical cloud that hangs over the Capitol?"
Her news conference came as House Speaker Dennis Hastert staunchly defend-
ed DeLay, calling him "a good man" and attacking the freshman Democratic con-
gressman whose complaint launched the investigation.
The series of angry statements cast a pall over a busy House pushing for adjourn-
ment and a return to the campaign trails.
The committee late Wednesday had admonished DeLay, (R-Texas.), for creating an
appearance of giving donors special access on pending energy legislation and using the
Federal Aviation Administration to intervene in a Texas political dispute.
UNITED NATIONS
U.N.: Child death decrease 'alarmingly slow'
In Sierra Leone, one in four children dies before age 5. In Iraq, one in 10 does not
make it to a fifth birthday. Across the globe, poor care for newborns, malnutrition,
malaria, diarrhea and measles snuff out lives of the very young, according to a U.N.
report released today. The United Nations Children's Fund reported "alarmingly slow
progress on reducing child deaths" - one in 12 children worldwide does not live to
age 5, with half of all those deaths occurring in sub-Saharan Africa.
"It is incredible that in an age of technological and medical marvels, child
survival is so tenuous in so many places, especially for the poor and marginal-
ized," UNICEF director Carol Bellamy said.
"The world has the tools to improve child survival, if only it would use them.
Vaccines, micronutrient supplements, and insecticide-treated mosquito nets
don't cost much and would save millions of children."
WASHINGTON
CD in Iraq said to have U.S. school information
Federal law enforcement authorities notified school districts in six states last
month that a computer disc found in Iraq contained photos, floor plans and other
information about their schools, two U.S. officials said yesterday.
The downloaded data found by the U.S. military in July - all publicly avail-
able on the Internet - included an Education Department report guiding schools
on how to prepare and respond to a crisis, said one official speaking on condition
of anonymity.
The officials said it was unclear who downloaded the information and stressed
there is no evidence of any specific threats involving the schools.
- Compiled from Daily wire reports
rE
I
6
4
I
AP PHOTO
an is wheeled Into the hospital of the Israeli Red Sea resort of Eliat
ter being wounded in a strong explosion at a Hilton hotel In Taba.
tal manager at the Hilton,
Saleh, said he was in the
nd couldn't see where the
iginated but that several
people at the hotel claimed it was caused
by a car bomb outside the reception area.
Some witnesses reported seeing the
wreckage of a car.
laws, culture and the academic environ-
ment at the University.
For many international students,
especially those who have not trav-
eled extensively, pursuing an education
outside of their native country means
overcoming cultural barriers. Confu-
sion over identifying as minorities, lack
of familiarity with English and lack of
financial support are just a few of the
challenges they face.
The International Center continues to
offer events and social activities to help
ensure a smooth and successful transi-
tion for international students, such as
last week's Re-Orientation, where ses-
sions were held on topics such as time
management and students were given an
opportunity to ask questions.
Nina Metodieva, a student who trans-
fered from Bulgaria, said the Interna-
tional Center could help students from
the same countries meet each other. "I
know there's another student from Bul-
garia here, but I don't know who he is or
how to contact him," she said.
For now, no new cuts to the center 's
budet are in sight. Thomas All, direc-
tor of finance and human resources for
the Division of Student Affairs, said,
"There are no indications that there will
be more drastic reductions since there
are no budget cuts for international stu-
dents in 2005."
But the University is dependant on
the state budget allocations, making the
future uncertain.
"We prefer to be optimistic and do
not like speculating along those lines
(of more drastic cuts)," All said. "We
are not focusing on how difficult things
have been."
Altamirano echoed All, saying, "we
deal with issues as we go, but there have
not been a lot of changes. Our main
issue is to serve our students as best as
we can. Things look encouraging."
- Esther Fang contributed to this
report for the Daily.
SOLE
Continued from page 1
to allow companies to be in dialogue with
contractors. It's not as simple or straight-
forward as it seems," Harlow said.
She added that the issue has not been
stagnant. Rather, the committee has been
in dialogue with the Worker Rights Con-
sortium and the Fair Labor Association,
two labor standards groups that work
with industry, as well as licensing com-
panies, to access and discuss plausible
ways to push wage disclosure through.
"Before the end of the term, we will
get out a thought-out alternative to the
president," Harlow said.
MARKET UPDATE
THURS. CLOSE C
DOW JONES 10,125.40 -
NASDAQ 1,948.52 -
s& O _ 1,130.65 -
HANGE
114.52
22.51
-11.40
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