2A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, February 23, 2006 NATION/WORLD Insurgents destroy golden dome of famed Shiite mosque Attacks ignite violent protests throughout all of Iraq SAMARRA, Iraq (AP) - Insur- gents posing as police destroyed the golden dome of one of Iraq's holiest Shiite shrines yesterday, setting off an unprecendented spasm of sectari- an violence. Angry crowds thronged the streets, militiamen attacked Sunni mosques, and at least 19 peo- ple were killed. With the gleaming dome of the 1;200-year-old Askariya shrine reduced to rubble, some Shiites lashed out at the United States as partly to blame. The violence - many of the 90 attacks on Sunni mosques were car- ried out by Shiite militias - seemed to push Iraq closer to all-out civil war than at any point in the three years since the U.S.-led overthrow of Sad- dam Hussein. Many leaders called for calm. "We are facing a major conspiracy that is tirgeting Iraq's unity," said President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd. "We should all stand hand in hand to prevent the dan- ger of a civil war." President Bush pledged American help to restore the mosque after the bombing north of Baghdad, which dealt a severe blow to U.S. efforts to keep Iraq from falling deeper into sec- tarian violence. "The terrorists in Iraq have again proven that they are enemies of all faiths and of all humanity," Bush said. "The world must stand united against them, and steadfast behind the people of Iraq." British Prime Minister Tony Blair also condemned the bombing and pledged funds toward the shrine's reconstruction. U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and the top American commander in Iraq, Gen. George Casey, called the attack a deliberate attempt to foment sectarian strife and warned it was a "critical moment for Iraq." No one was reported injured in the bombing of the shrine in Samarra. But at least 19 people, including three Sunni clerics, were killed in the reprisal attacks that followed, mainly in Baghdad and predominantly Shiite provinces to the south, according to the Iraqi Islamic Party, the country's larg- est Sunni political group. Many of the attacks appeared to have been carried out by Shiite mili- tias that the United States wants to see disbanded. In predominantly Shiite Basra,police said militiamen broke into a prison, hauled out 12 inmates, including two Egyptians, two Tunisians, a Libyan, a Saudi and a Turk, and shot them dead in reprisal for the shrine attack. Major Sunni groups joined in con- demning the attack, and a leading Sunni politician, Tariq al-Hashimi, urged clerics and politicians to calm the situation "before it spins out of control." The country's top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, sent instructions to his followers forbidding attacks on Sunni mosques, and called for seven days of mourning. But he hinted, as did Vice President Adil Abdul-Mahdi, that religious mili- tias could be given a bigger security role if the government cannot protect holy shrines - an ominous sign of the Shiite reaction ahead. Both Sunnis and the United States fear the rise of such militias, which the disaffected minority views as NEWS IN.BRIEF HEADLINES FRO AROUND THE WORLD ge VATICAN CITY Pope appoints his first cardinals Pope Benedict XVI named his first batch of cardinals yesterday, sending a strong political message with nominations in Hong Kong and Venezu- ela and promoting two Americans with experience in the church sex-abuse scandal. Benedict named 15 new "princes" of the Roman Catholic Church during his weekly general audience, 12 of whom are under age 80 and thus eligible to vote in the conclave that will one day elect the pope's successor. He said the prelates, who also include sentimental favorite Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, Pope John Paul II's longtime private secretary, would receive their red hats at a Vatican ceremony March 24. The cardinals come from 11 countries on five continents and include the archbishops of Boston; Krakow, Poland; Seoul, South Korea; Bordeaux, France; Bologna, Italy; Manila, Philippines; and Toledo, Spain. LINCOLN, NEB. Factory workers split record jackpot Eight workers at a Nebraska meat processing plant claimed the record $365 mil- lion Powerball jackpot yesterday, giving each about $15.5 million after taxes. The seven men and one woman all work at a ConAgra ham processing plant near the U-Stop convenience store where they bought the winning ticket last week for Saturday's lottery. They ended up with the biggest jackpot in U.S. lottery history. "I didn't know what to think," said Robert Stewart, 30, vho said he was a main- tenance supervisor before the win. "I still don't know what to think." The previous U.S. lottery jackpot record was $363 million for the Big Game, the forerunner of Mega Millions. Powerball's previous record jackpot, $340 million, was won by an Oregon family in October. At least three of the winners yesterday are immigrants. Quang Dao, 56, who like Dung Tran, 34, came to the United States from Vietnam about 16 years ago, said he was looking for freedom when he headed for America. "After I hit the lottery, it also changed my family's life in Vietnam," he said. WASHINGTON 25 million Americans plagued by hunger More than 25 million Americans turned to the nation's largest network of food banks, soup kitchens and shelters for meals last year, up 9 percent from 2001. Those seeking food included 9 million children and nearly 3 million senior citi- zens, says a report from America's Second Harvest. "The face of hunger doesn't have a particular color, and it doesn't come from a particular neighborhood," said Ertharin Cousin, executive vice president of the group. "They are your neighbors, they are working Americans, they are senior citizens who have worked their entire lives, and they are children." The organization said it interviewed 52,000 people at food banks, soup kitchens and shelters across the country last year. The network represents about 39,000 hun- ger-relief organizations, or about 80 percent of those in the United States. The vast majority are run locally by churches and private nonprofit groups. 40 6 AP PHOTO Iraqis gather at the ruins of a Shrine in Samarra north of Baghdad yesterday. An explosion heavily damaged the golden dome of one of Iraq's most famous Shiite religious shrines. little more than death squads. Ameri- can commanders believe they under- cut efforts to create a professional Iraqi army and police force - a key step toward the eventual drawdown of U.S. forces. Some Shiite political leaders already were angry with the United States because it has urged them to form a gov- ernment in which nonsectarian figures control the army and police. Khalilzad warned this week - in a statement clearly aimed at Shiite hardliners - that America would not continue to support institutions run by sectarian groups with links to armed militias. One top Shiite political leader accused Khalilzad of sharing blame for the attack on the shrine in Samarra. "These statements ... gave green lights to terrorist groups. And, there- fore, he shares in part of the respon- sibility," said Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, head of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq and the for- mer commander of its militia. 0 White House made secret deal for ports NW Rg * Arab company agreed to disclose internal records to win U.S. sale WASHINGTON (AP) - The Bush administration secretly required a com- pany in the United Arab Emirates to coop- erate with future U.S. investigations before approving its takeover of operations at six American ports, according to documents obtained by the Associated Press. It chose tof to impose other, routine restrictions. As part of the $6.8 billion purchase, state-owned Dubai Ports World agreed to reveal records on demand about "foreign operational direction" of its business at U.S. ports, according to the documents. Those records broadly include details about the design, maintenance or opera- tion of ports and equipment. The administration did not require Dubai Ports to keep copies of business records on U.S. soil, where they would be subject to orders by American courts. It also did not require the company to desig- nate an American citizen to accommodate U.S. government requests. Outside legal experts said such obligations are routinely attached to U.S. approvals of foreign sales in other industries. "They're not lax but they're not draco- nian'" said James Lewis, a former U.S. official who worked on such agreements. If officials had predicted the firestorm of criti- cism over the deal, Lewis said, "they might have made them sound harder." The conditions involving the sale of London-based Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co. were detailed in U.S. documents marked "confidential." Such records are regularly guarded as trade secrets, and it is highly unusual for them to be made public. The concessions were described previ- ously by the Homeland Security Depart- ment as unprecedented among maritime companies. Still, they reflect a close rela- tionship between the United States and the United Arab Emirates. Rep. Peter King of New York, the Republican chairman of the House Home- land Security Committee and a leading critic of the sale, said the conditions are evidence the Bush administration was con- cerned about security. "There is a very serious question as to why the records are not going to be main- tained on American soil subject to Ameri- can jurisdiction," King said. The revelations about the negotiated con- ditions came as the White House acknowl- edged President Bush was unaware of the pending sale until the deal had been already approved by his administration. The Republican head of the Senate Armed Services Committee, John War- ner of Virginia, announced plans for a hearing in Washington today. Warner has expressed support for the agreement, describing the UAE as an important ally against terrorism. Bush on Tuesday brushed aside objec- tions by leaders in the Senate and House. He pledged to veto any bill Congress might approve to block the agreement, but some lawmakers said they still were determined to capsize it. Dubai Port's top American executive, chief operating officer Edward Bilkey, said the company will do whatever the Bush administration asks to enhance shipping security and ensure the sale goes through. Bilkey said yesterday he will work in Washington to persuade skepti- cal lawmakers they should endorse the deal; Senate oversight hearings already are scheduled. Anti war activist Cindy Sheehan and REM frontman Michael Stipe will head- line a New York concert to urge the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. The concert, dubbed "Bring 'Em Home Now!" will be held at the Hammerstein Ballroom on March 20, the third anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. Rufus Wain- wright and Bright Eyes will also perform, it was announced yesterday. Sheehan, who camped outside President Bush's ranch in Texas last year to pro- test the Iraq war, will speak during the concert. Her 24-year-old son, Casey, was killed in Iraq in 2004. - Compiled from Daily wire reports CORRECTIONS Please report any error in the Daily to corrections@michigandaily.com. (1be 0Alirb Igui:atilu 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1327 www.michigandaily.com New York City man hospitalized for anthrax * Officials say case is accidental, not related to terrorism NEW YORK (AP) - A New York City drum maker has been hospitalized with a case of inhaled anthrax that officials say he may have contracted from the raw ani- amal hides that he imports from Africa. Authorities said yesterday the infection appeared to be accidental - not terrorism - and did not pose a serious public health threat. Vado Diomande, 44, had traveled recently to the west coast of Africa and fell ill in Pennsylvania last week shortly after he returned to this coun- try with some hides, authorities said. It was not exactly clear how Dio- mande came into contact with the deadly substance, or whether it hap- pened in Africa or in this country. But aides to Mayor Michael Bloom- berg said it was related to his job making drums from animal skins. At least four other people may have been exposed to anthrax spores, including a family member of the infected man who worked with the hides, and three were being treated with antibiotics, city Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden said. "Every indication suggests that this is naturally occurring anthrax," Frieden said. Authorities were also screening for contaminants at the man's rented work area in Brooklyn, in his vehicle and in his Manhattan apartment, Bloomberg said. Anthrax spores are found in soil in many parts of the world, and live- stock can become infected by eating contaminated soil or feed. People can then pick up the infection if they come into contact with contaminated hides or other animal parts. Lisa Rotz, a medical epidemiologist with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said health officials believe Diomande may have inhaled the spores in a process that includes soaking the hides, stretching them and scraping them to remove hair. She said investigators are seeking samples of the hides to test for spores. Aides to the mayor said Dioman- de was recovering in a hospital in Sayre, Pa., after collapsing during a performance with a dance company. Pennsylvania health officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Pre- vention confirmed the case as inhala- tion anthrax yesterday, the mayor said. Anthrax infections must be treated early with antibiotics for the best chance of recovery. The inhalation form of the disease has a fatality rate. of about 75 percent, even with antibiotics. Frieden said Diomande was breath- ing on his own and appeared to be "doing better than people with respi- ratory anthrax usually do." Diomande has been a dancer and drummer since he was a child, accord- ing to a website for his dance troupe. When he was a teenager he danced with the National Ballet of the Ivory Coast and toured all over the world. He founded his own dance company in 1989, the website said. Authorities said they were not con- cerned that the transport of the hides or the finished drums to the U.S. posed any health risk, because they believe Diomande was infected while treating and working with the materials. At the Pennsylvania university where he collapsed, students were informed about the anthrax case but were assured they were not in danger. About 100 people attended the per- formance, according to Terri Day, a university spokesman. Weeks after the 2001 terrorist attacks, the nation was on high alert as anthrax-laced letters surfaced in sev- eral places, including New York City. NBC anchorman Tom Brokaw, two U.S. senators and the offices of the New York Post were among the targets. DoNN M. 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