2 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, April 11, 2006 NATION/WORLD Chirac scraps youth job law Unions declare decision a great victory,' still debating whether to continue protests PARIS (AP) - President Jacques Chirac yesterday threw out part of a youth labor law that triggered mas- sive protests and strikes, bowing to intense pressure from students and unions and dealing a blow to his loyal premier in a bid to end the crisis. Unions celebrated what they called "a great victory," and also were deciding whether to keep up the protests. The top two student unions, UNEF and FIDL, said they would press on with demonstrations today across France. Prime Minister Dominique de Vil- lepin, who devised the law, had faced down protesters for weeks, insisting that its most divisive provision - a so-called "first job contract" - was necessary to reduce high unemploy- ment rates among French youths by making it easier for companies to hire and fire young workers. Acting on advice from Villepin, his longtime protege, Chirac "decid- ed to replace" the provision with one aimed at "youths in difficulty," the president's office said. Top lawmakers from Chirac's rul- ing conservative party presented a new plan to parliament yesterday. The pro- posal emerged after legislative talks last week with unions and student groups to find ways to end the crisis. A somber Villepin, in a TV appear- ance, said his original legislation was designed to curb "despair of many youths" and strike a "better balance ... between more flexibility for the employ- er and more security for workers." "This was not understood by every- one, I'm sorry to say," Villepin said. The crisis has discredited Chirac and devastated Villepin and his presi- dential ambitions - and thrown into question the government's ability to push through painful reforms to help France compete in the global econo- my. The new measures increase the government's role in the workplace instead of decreasing them, as Vil- lepin had sought. Students and other opponents had feared the previous measure would erode coveted job security - and some unions trumpeted the retreat by Chirac and his prime minister. The labor law "is dead and bur- ied," said Jean-Claude Mailly of the Workers Force union. "The goal has been achieved." AP PHOTO Students shout slogans as they demonstrate against the French government's labor laws in Paris last week. Alain Olive, secretary-general of the UNSA union, said, "After more than two weeks of intense mobilization, the 12 syndicated groups of workers, uni- versity and high school students have won a great victory." UNEF leader Bruno Julliard told AP Television News that the students "want to see how we can take advan- tage of this power struggle that is now in our favor to garner new victories" The new four-point plan sent to par- liament would bolster existing job con- tracts, rather than enact new ones. The government would offer more state support for companies that hire young workers. Other provisions would increase internships in areas where jobs are relatively plentiful - such as in restau- rants, hotels and nursing - or guide jobseekers in their careers. Some 160,000 youths would be affected by the new measures this year, at a cost of some $180 million to the state. NEWS IN BRIEF WASHINGTON Bush rejects report of Iran attack plan President Bush dismissed as "wild speculation" reports that the administration was planning for a military strike against Iran. Bush did not rule out the use of force, but he said he would continue to use dip- lomatic pressure to prevent Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon or the know-how and technology to make one. "I know here in Washington prevention means force," Bush said at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. "It doesn't mean force, necessarily. In this case, it means diplomacy" Several weekend news reports said the administration was studying options for military strikes. The New Yorker magazine raised the possibility of using nuclear bombs against Iran's underground nuclear sites. "I read the articles in the newspapers this weekend," Bush said. "It was just wild speculation." DUR HAM, N. C. DNA tests fail to connect Duke players to crime DNA testing failed to connect any members of the Duke University lacrosse team to the alleged rape of a stripper, attorneys for the athletes said yesterday. Citing DNA test results delivered by the state crime lab to police and prosecutors a few hours earlier, the attorneys said the test results prove their clients did not sexually assault and beat a stripper hired to perform at a March 13 team party. No charges have been filed in the case. "There is no DNA evidence that shows she was touched by any of these boys," said attorney Joe Cheshire, who represents one of the team's captains. The alleged victim, a 27-year-old student at a nearby college, told police she and another woman were hired to dance at the party. The woman told police that three men at the party dragged her into a bathroom, choked her, raped her and sodomized her. WASHINGTON Wal-Mart's banking bid draws criticism Allies for once, a stream of officials from the banking industry, unions and consumer groups urged federal regulators yesterday to reject a bid by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to expand its empire into the banking business. A company official, meanwhile, assured the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. that Wal-Mart had no plans to compete with community banks, including bank branches located within its megastores. The first day of the first-ever FDIC public hearings on a bank application drew a wave of opposition to the plans of the world's largest retailer. Among the protesters: officials of trade groups representing banks of every type and size; unions; law- makers; consumer and community organizations, and associations of convenience stores, grocers, retailers, real estate agents and farmers. ROME Italian elections still too close to call Silvio Berlusconi, Italy's longest-serving premier since World War II, was locked in a battle for power yesterday with center-left challenger Romano Prodi as vote pro- jections from parliamentary election returns swung dramatically back and forth. After a campaign dominated by economic issues, projections based on 98 per- cent of pollster Nexus's sampling of votes cast gave the flamboyant billionaire's center-right alliance 158 seats in the Senate compared to 151 for Prodi's coalition. But with a margin of error of 1 to 3 percentage points and six seats chosen by Ital- ians voting abroad unaccounted for, the Senate majority was far from assured. For the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house, 89 percent of the voting sample gave Berlusconi's alliance 49.8 to 49.7 percent for Prodi's coalition. - Compiled from Daily wire reports CORRECTIONS A story in yesterday's SportsMonday (No upset, but rowers split) incorrectly stated that Michigan's first varsity four lost to Southern Cal in rowing by 10 seconds. Michi- gan defeated the Trojans by that margin. Please report any error in the Daily to corrections@rnichigandaily.com. 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1327 www. michigandaily.corn College grai Many large cities have lost population in the past three decades, but most gained college graduates WASHINGTON (AP) - College graduates are flocking to America's big cities, chasing jobs and culture and driving up home prices. Though many of the largest cities have lost pop- ulation in the past three decades, nearly all have added college graduates, an analysis by The Asso- ciated Press found. The findings offer hope for urban areas, many of which have spent decades struggling with financial problems, job losses and high poverty rates. But they also spell trouble for some cities, espe- cially those in the Northeast and Midwest, that have fallen behind the South and West in attracting high- ly educated workers. "The largest predictor of economic well-being in cities is the percent of college graduates," said Ned dflocking Hill, professor of economic development at Cleve- land State University. To do well, he said, cities must be attractive to educated people. Nationally, a little more than one-fourth of peo- ple 25 and older had at least bachelor's degrees in 2004. Some 84 percent had high school diplomas or the equivalent. By comparison, in 1970 only a bit more than one in 10 adults had bachelor's degrees and about half had high school diplomas. Seattle was the best-educated city in 2004 with just over half the adults having bachelor's degrees. Following closely were San Francisco; Raleigh, N.C.; Washington and Austin, Texas. Molly Wankel, who has a doctorate in education- al administration, said she moved to the Washing- ton area for a job, and the culture of the city pulled her from the suburbs. Wankel, 51, grew up in east- ern Tennessee and works at a company that devel- ops software and training materials. She recently bought a home in the city. to big citi es "I just enjoy walking around looking at the architecture and the way people have renovated these 100-year-old homes," Wankel said. "I love the landscaping and the lovely mix of many races, straight people, gays, singles, older people, younger people." The AP analyzed census data from 21 of the larg- est cities from 1970 to 2004. The AP used every-10- year census data from 1970 to 2000, and the Census Bureau's American Community Survey for 2004. The 21 cities were chosen because of their size and location to provide regional balance. The analysis was expanded for 2004, the latest year for data, to include all 70 cities with populations of 250,000 or more. While most states in the Northeast have high per- centages of college graduates, their big cities do not. Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Jersey were among the top five states in the percentage of adults with college degrees in 2004. But the Northeast placed no city among the top five, and only one from the region - Boston - was in the top 20. 0 Storm-weary coast braces for hurricane season Hurricane Katrina destroyed thousands of homes and killed more than 1,300 people GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) - Joe Spraggins knows it will take stockpiles of food, water and fuel and better evacu- ation routes to survive if the Gulf Coast gets hit by another monster storm this coming hurricane season. What the Harrison County emer- gency management director cannot fully plan for is the psychological toll another hurricane could exact on resi- dents struggling to rebuild their lives after Katrina. "They're already at the point of breaking," he said. "If we have another storm of any size this summer, mental health is going to be a huge issue." Katrina laid waste to tens of thou- sands of homes and businesses and killed more than 1,300 people in Loui- siana and Mississippi. Now, less than two months before the next hurricane season starts June 1, overworked offi- cials and frazzled homeowners are bracing for the possibility of another killer storm in a region where thou- sands still live in government-issued trailers or under blue tarps. This hurricane season could be more brutal than last year's, when a record- setting 27 storms, including 15 hurri- canes, churned in the Atlantic Ocean. Forecasters say the Atlantic is in a peri- od of increased hurricane activity that could last another a decade or longer. Even a weaker storm than Katrina could be devastating, wiping out much of the modest progress that has been made and sweeping away the little trailers. Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour calls this a "critical period of vulnerability." "We're going to pray for the best but prepare for the worst," he said. Spraggins, whose territory includes Katrina-battered Gulfport and Biloxi, said the county is devising a new emer- gency plan to replace the old one. Katrina made a mockery out of fed- eral, state and local emergency plans. Evacuation routes were clogged, com- munications were spotty, and emergen- cy supplies were not positioned to arrive quickly in the areas of greatest need. "We will never be prepared to take a Katrina, but we will be prepared to do a lot better than we did the last time," Spraggins said. In Mississippi, about 99,000 peo- ple are living in more than 36,000 FEMA trailers and mobile homes. In Louisiana, more than 51,000 trailers dot the landscape. DoNN M. FREsARD Editor in Chief fresard@michigandaily.com 647-3336 Sun.-Thurs. 5 p.m. - 2 a.m. JONATHAN DOBBERSTEIN Business Manager business@michigandaily.com 764-0558 Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. - I M ore C ontent Courses Start: Apr 29, May 20, June 3 Last Paper and Pencil MCAT! $100 Off when you sign up by Apri l15 800-2Review f PrincetonReview.com A T CONTACT INFORMATION News Tips Corrections Letters to the Editor Photography Department Arts Section Editorial Page Sports Section Display Sales Classified Sales Online Sales Finance mazing eachers Newsroom: 763-2459 Office hours:Sun.-Thurs.11a.m. - 2 a.m. news@michigandaily.com corrections@michigandaily.com tothedaily@michigandaily.com photo@michigandaily.com 764-0563 artspage@michigandaily.com 763-0379 opinion@michigandaily.com 763-0379 sports@michigandaily.com 764-8585 display@michigandaily.com 764-0554 classified@michigandaily.com 764-0557 onlineads@michigandaily.com 615-0135 finance@michigandaily.com 763-3246 714 i&eton &View I EDITORIAL STAFF Ashley Dinges Managing Editor dinges@michigandaily.com Karl Stampfl Managing News Editor stampfl@michigandaily.com NEWS EDITORS: Jeremy Davidson, Christina Hildreth, Anne Joling, Anne VanderMey Emily Beam Editorial Page Editor beam@michigandaily.com Christopher Zbrozek Editorial Page Editor zbrozek@michigandaily.com ASSOCIATE EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS: Theresa Kennelly, Imran Syed ASSISTANT EDITOR IAL PAGE EDITOR: David Russell Jack Herman Managing Sports Editor herman@michigandaily.com SENIOR SPORTS EDITORS: Scott Bell, Gabe Edelson, Matt Singer, Kevin Wright, Stephanie Wright SPORTS NIG IT EDITORS: H. Jose Bosch, Dan Bromwich, Mark Giannotto, Ian Robinson, Nate Sandals, Dan Levy Jeffrey Bloomer Managing Arts Editor bloomer@michigandaily.com ASSOCIATE ARTS EDITORS: Evan McGarvey, Bernie Nguyen A RTS SUB EDITORS: Amanda Andrade, Uoyd Qan, CaitlinCowan, AndrewKlein,Pun itMantas Alex Dziadosz Managing Photo Editor dziadosz@michigandaily.com Mike Hulsebus Managing Photo Editor hulsebus@michigandaily.com ASSOCIATE PHOTO EDITORS: Forest Casey, Trevor Campbell, David Tuman ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITORS: Shubra Ohri, Pter Schoneniels Lindsey Ungar Assistant Managing Editor, Design ungar@michigandaily.com ASSISTANT DESIGN EDITOR: Bridget O'Donnell Eston Bond Managing Online Editor eston@michigandaily.com ASSOCIATE ONLINE EDITORS: Angela Cesere, Phil Dokas James V. Dowd Magazine Editor dowd@michigandaily.com ASSOCIATE MAGAZINE EDITOR: Chris Gaerig BUSINESS STAFF Christine Hua Display Sales Manager ASSOCIATE DISPLAY SALES MANAGER: Alexis Floyd I 1 A 6 I Ici ! u F I