The Michigan Daily - michiganclaily.com Wednesday, January 10, 2007 - 3A The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Wednesday, January 10, 2007 - 3A NEWS BRIEFS SAN FRANCISCO Apple unveils new iPod-phone hybrid, changes name Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs announced yesterday the iPod maker's long-awaited leap into the mobile phone business and renamed the company to just "Apple Inc.," reflecting its increased focus on consumer electronics. The iPhone, which will start at $499 when it launches in June, is controlled by touch, plays music, surfs the Internet and runs the Macintosh computer operating system. Jobs said it will "rein- vent" wireless communications and "leapfrog" past the current generation of smart phones. WASHINGTON House passes new anti-terrorism legislation Anti-terror legislation sailed through the House yesterday, the first in a string of measures designed to fulfill campaign prom- ises made by Democrats last fall. Patterned on recommendations of the commission that inves- tigated the Sept. 11 attacks, the far-reaching measure includes commitments for inspection of all cargo carried aboard passenger aircraft and on ships bound for the United States. The vote was a bipartisan 299- 128, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi took the rostrum to announce the passage of the first legislation to clear under the new Democratic majority. CARACAS, Venezuela Chavez calls for nationalization of key industries As Venezuela embarked on another six years under Hugo Chavez, the president announced plans to nationalize power and telecom companies and make other bold changes that will concentrate more power in his hands. Chavez, who will be sworn in today for a third term that runs until 2013, also said he wanted a constitutional amendment to strip the Central Bank of its autonomy and would soon ask the National Assembly, solidly controlled by his allies, to give him greater powers to legislate by presidential decree. "We're moving toward a social- ist republic of Venezuela, and that requires a deep reform of our national constitution," Chavez said inatelevisedaddressafterswearing in his new Cabinet. "We're heading toward socialism, and nothing and no one can prevent it." HELOTES, Texas Massive mulch fire sparks confusion in small Texas town The enormous mountain of branches and wood chips at a recy- cling operation in this small Hill Country town had drawn a few grumbles from neighbors before, but when it caught fire on Christmas, the sparks really began to fly. Mayor Jon Allan wanted the county or state to extinguish it. The countylookedtothe propertyowner. And no one was immediately sure how to deal with all the potential health problems and environmental worries that might happen when the burningpile thatlooks like avolcano was doused. The pile of mulch, which has been sitting in an open field for more than a decade, is about 400 feet long, 225 feet wide and 70 feet tall in the mid- dle of a lot edged with trees. - Compiled from Daily wire reports HUMOR RAG From page 1A next to copies of The Wall Street Journal and BusinessWeek. Gedi- man said this could have under- mined what he called the Business School's professional tone. Gediman said the Business School will not restrict distribution of the newspaper in the future. He said the administrators had made a mistake in their treatment of the matter and have apologized to the Every Three Weekly. This was not the first time that a free speech debate arose at the Business -School. In October, staff received complaints about adver- tisements for the strip club Dja Vu in University football programs. According to the leaked e-mails, the staff removed the football pro- grams from public display. SCHOLARSHIP From page IA working in nonprofit (legal aid) organizations - all with a focus on legal aid and legal development in China." Chen is currently in Beijing on a Fulbright Scholarship, studying Chinese society and working at legal aid centers. She was one of five students nominated by the University for the Rhodes and Marshall schol- arships this year and was the only University student who won either award. This was the second time the University has nominat- ed Chen for the Rhodes andMar- shall scholarships. Gretchen Weir, assistant vice provost for academic affairs, one of Chen's mentors, said Chen's hands- on approach to issues set her apart. "Lyric's experience outside of the classroom proves that her interests in social justice, policy and law are not merely academic," Weir said. Chen said she will use her Marshall Scholarship to attend Oxford University, where she will study political science and work toward a masters degree with a focus on comparative poli- tics. Her focus will be on the Chi- nese political system and its legal development. HOUSING From page IA company. She said the ordinance created a rush in early December and added a sense of urgency to sign leases then. LSA sophomore Amanda Adel- son said she enjoyed the extra time to scout properties. "I like the later (leasing period)," she said. "Last year we definitely felt rushed." Several students said they used the extra time to research proper- ties on the Internet before going to the fair. But student reliance on the Web created a problem for some smaller rental companies. The University prohibited landlords from advertis- ing on its off-campus housing web- site until after the Dec. 1 deadline had passed. Because of this, David Copi, who owns Copi Properties, said his com- pany couldn't reach its rental base. Carle Svitil, an assistant in the University's off-campus housing office, said his office didn't allow the advertisements because it doesn't have enough staff to sort through the posting requests and determine whether the postings violated the new ordinance. Previously, the housing office did not allow advertising until after the housing fair, which was held in October. It was pushed back this year because of the measure. The office made a uniform deci- sion to prohibit all advertising until December, regardless of whether or not the landlord has a signed wavi- er for the property from the current renter, which would put it on the market legally. Copi said he was upset because he obtained waivers from tenants for some of his properties. "The new ordinance has been a disservice to students and land- lords," he said. "It just limits the choice of students." Other rental companies said leasing is goingsmoothly. "Ourhousingmarketisfine,"said Doug Turner of Migraine Acres. Turner relies mostly on word-of- mouth endorsements from current tenants, he said. On Monday, Turner said he only had one house left and that he already has prospective tenants on waiting lists for the 2008-2009 school year. But University Towers, the 19- story apartment complex on South Forest Avenue, is struggling to fill its vacancies for next year. According Denise Jackson, who coordinates leasing for the com- plex, only half of the complex is leased for next year. She said that at this time last year, the building was full. "It's kind of like at a standstill right now," she said. "We're not happy." Jackson said that fewer renters have renewed their leases than in past years. Two current University Towers tenants, Business school sopho- more Rupal Patel and LSA sopho- more Avanti Jangalapalli, said the complex's rate hike discouraged them from renewing their lease. "For the price and space that they give us, it's too expensive," Patel said. Jackson, though, wasn't sure why renters weren't coming back to the building. She said rents rise every year without causing a dras- tic drop in renters. Helicopters launch new attacks on al-Qaida suspects in Somalia Pentagon may be targeting mastermind of 1998 embassy bombings MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) - Attackhelicopters strafed suspect- ed al-Qaida fighters in southern Somalia yesterday, witnesses said, following two days of airstrikes by U.S. forces - the first U.S. offen- sives in the African country since 18 American soldiers were killed here in 1993. In Washington, a U.S.intelligence official said American forces killed five to 10 people in an attack on one target in southern Somalia believed to be associated with al-Qaida. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the opera- tion's sensitivity, said a small num- ber of others present, perhaps four or five, were wounded. A Somali lawmaker said 31 civil- ians, including a newlywed couple, died in yesterday's assault by two helicopters near Afmadow, a town in a forested area close to the Kenyan border. The report could not be independently verified. A Somali Defense Ministry offi- cial described the helicopters as American, but witnesses told The Associated Press they could not make out identification markings on the craft. Washington officials had no comment on the helicopter strike. The U.S. is hunting down Islamic extremists, said the Somali defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters. Earlier, Somalia's president said that the U.S. was pursuing sus- pects in the 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in East Africa, and that the effort has his support. Somali troops and their Ethiopi- an allies were attacked in the capi- tal late yesterday by gunmen riding in two pickup trucks who fired two rocket propelled grenades, wit- nesses said. The rocket attack was followed by several minutes of rifle fire. One Somali soldier was killed and two other soldiers and a bystander were wounded, said minibus driv- er Harun Ahmed, who took the injured to a hospital. Col. Shino Mo'lin Nur, a Somali military commander, told the AP by telephone late yesterday that at least one U.S. AC-130 gunship attacked a suspected al-Qaida training camp Sunday on a remote island at the southern tip of Soma- lia next to Kenya. Somali officials said they had reports of many deaths. On Monday, witnesses and Nur said, more U.S. airstrikes were launched against Islamic extrem- ists in Hayi, 30 miles from Afmad- ow. Nur said attacks continued yesterday. "Nobody can exactly explain what is going on inside these for- ested areas," the Somali command- er said. "However, we are receiving reports that most of the Islamist fighters have died and the rest would be captured soon." In Washington yesterday, Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman spoke of one strike in southern Somalia, but would not confirm any of the details or say whether any al-Qaida militants were killed. The assault was based on intel- ligence "that led us to believe we had principal al-Qaida leaders in an area where we could identify them and take action against them," Whitman said. Somali Islamic extremists are accused of sheltering suspects in the 1998 embassy bombings. Ameri- can officials also want to ensure the militants no longer pose a threat to Somalia's U.N.-backed transitional government. The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower has arrived off Somalia's coast and launched intel- ligence-gathering missions over Somalia, the U.S. military said. Three other U.S. warships were conducting anti-terror operations. U.S. warships have been seek- ing to capture al-Qaida members thought to be fleeing Somalia by sea after Ethiopia's military invad- ed Dec. 24 in support of the interim Somali government. The offensive drove the Islamic militia out of much of southern Somalia, includ- ing the capital Mogadishu, and toward the Kenyan border. President Abdullahi Yusuf, head ofthe U.N.-backed transitional gov- ernment, told journalists in Moga- dishu that the U.S. "has a right to bombard terrorist suspects who attacked its embassies in Kenya and Tanzania." Other Somalis in the capital said the attacks would increase anti- American sentiment in their large- ly Muslim country. Many Somalis are already upset bythe presence of troops from neighboring Ethiopia, which has a large Christian popu- lation. The U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, on yesterday reissued a ter- ror warning to Americans living in or visitingthe Horn of Africa. It was the first overt military action by the U.S. in Somalia since it led a U.N. force tliat intervened in the 1990s in an effort to fight famine. The mission led to clashes between U.N. forces and Somali warlords, including the battle, chronicled in the book and movie "Black Hawk Down," that killed 18 U.S. soldiers. Mohamed Mahmud Burale told the AP by telephone that at least four civilians were killed Mon- day evening in Hayi, including his young son. His report could not be independently verified. Government spokesman Abdi- rahman Dinari said it was not known how many people were killed, "but we understand there were a lot of casualties. Most were Islamic fighters." Another attack by an AC-130 gunship reportedly occurred Monday afternoon on Badmad- ow island, in a group of six rocky islands known as Ras Kamboni - a suspected terrorist training base. Thickets provide dense cover and the only road to the area is vir- tually impassable, locals said. The U.S. military's main target on the island was thought to be Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, who allegedly planned the 1998 attacks on the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed 225 people. Leaders of Somalia's Islamic movement have vowed from their hideouts to launch an Iraq-style guerrilla war, and al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden's deputy has called on militants to carryout sui- cide attacks on Ethiopian troops. In an interview published yest- eday in the French newspaper Le Monde, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said that suspected terrorists from Canada, Britain, Pakistan and elsewhere were among those captured or killed during recent military operations. Somalia has not had an effective central government since warlords toppled dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in1991. The warlords turned on each other, creating chaos in the nation of 7 million people. European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana said he told U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon that a U.N. peacekeeping force may be needed to guarantee security and stability in Somalia. U.S.: 50 militants dead in Baghdad BAGHDAD (AP) - U.S. jets screamed low over the capital and helicopter gunships swooped in to pound a central Baghdad battle- ground yesterday, supporting Iraqi and American troops in a daylong fight that officials said killed 50 insurgents in a militant Sunni Arab stronghold. The battle raged on Haifa Street about 11/2 miles north of the heav- ily fortified Green Zone - home to the U.S. Embassy and other facili- ties - on the eve of President Bush's expected announcement that he would send 20,000 more soldiers to Iraq despite growing opposition on Capitol Hill. It was the second major confron- tation on Haifa Street in the four days since Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki announced a new drive to rid Baghdad of sectarian fighters. The U.S. military said about 1,000 Iraqi and U.S. soldiers car- ried out "targeted raids to capture multiple targets, disrupt insurgent activity and restore Iraqi Secu- rity Forces control of North Haifa Street." "This area has been subject to insurgent activity which has repeatedly disrupted Iraqi Security Force operations in central Bagh- dad," said a statement quoting Lt. Col. Scott Bleichwehl, spokesman for Multi-National Division Bagh- dad. He said the U.S. jets buzzing the city did not conduct any airstrikes, but "attack helicopters were used to engage targets in support of the ground forces." Bleichwehl said no American or Iraqi soldiers were killed. He did not address the number of militants killed, while the Iraqi Defense Ministry reported 50 deaths among insurgents. Elsewhere yesterday, Iraqi police reported finding 52 bodies dumped in three cities, 41 of them in Bagh- dad, all apparent victims of sectar- ian reprisal killings. At a Saturday ceremony marking the 85th anniversary of the found- ing of the Iraqi army, al-Maliki again vowed to strike at the Shiite Muslim and Sunni Arab extremists behind the sectarian warfare that has bloodied the country over the past year.4 . Islamic group calls for federal investigation of vandalism DETROIT (AP) - An Islamic Mouhib Ayas, president of the coalition representing south- Islamic Shura Council, said the east Michigan Sunni groups and incidents appear to be a reaction centers said yesterday that the to events in the Middle East, par- vandalism of Shiite mosques and ticularly in Iraq and the execution businesses over the weekend could of Saddam Hussein. Iraq's Shiite- be hate crimes and called on the controlled government ordered federal government to investigate. Saddam hanged before sunrise on Late Saturday night or early Rid al-Hadha, or the Islamic Feast Sunday, vandals broke windows of of the Sacrifice. two mosques and five businesses Ayas said a lot of people felt pro- along Warren Avenue owned by yoked by the timing of the execu- Iraqi Shiites, the second largest lion late last month and viewed it Islamic sect after the Sunnis. more an act of revenge than carry- The owner of arestaurant whose log out justice, but he condemned windows were broken said he had the vandalism as an unfortunate received threatening phone calls act of a few individuals. before the vandalism that referred "They definitely do not reflect to his Shiite creed, according to the the feeling, position of the majori- Islamic Shura Council of Michi- ty of Sunnis in Michigan," he said. gan, based in the Detroit suburb of Ayas said he and others plan a Bloomfield Hills. meeting this week between area Detroit Police Sgt. Eren Ste- Sunni and Shiite leaders to ease phens Bell said the department is tensions. investigating the vandalism and Osama Siblani, a spokesman for could not confirm if the incidents the Arab American and Chaldean were hate crimes. She said police Council of Metropolitan Detroit will review security tapes to try to and publisher of the Arab Ameni- identify the vandals. can News in the neighboring sub- The FBI said in a statement urb of Dearborn, said he does not yesterday that it has talked to the know the motivation for the van- Council on American-Islamic dalism. But he said it could be a Relations and leaders of other reaction to celebrations on Dear- community groups. If the Detroit born's streets Dec. 29 by Iraqi Shi- police find information that links ites following Saddam Hussein's the vandalism to federal civil- execution. The celebrations were rights violations, the FBI would close to the buildings that were "pursue it accordingly." vandalized. 4 8.2 billion Number of dollars that American consumers will lose this year on unre- deemed, expired and lost gift cards, according to an estimate by the Tower- Group, a retail trade organi- zation.