The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

NEWS

Wednesday, September 5, 2007 - 3A

The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Wednesday, September 5, 2007 - 3A

NEWS BRIEFS
WASHINGTON
Bush advised not
to change strategy
in Iraq
President Bush's senior advis-
ers on Iraq have recommended
he stand by his current war
strategy, and he is unlikely to
order more than a symbolic cut
in troops before the end of the
year, administration officials
told The Associated Press yes-
terday.
The recommendations from
the military commander in Iraq,
Gen. David Petraeus, and U.S.
Ambassador Ryan Crocker come
despite independent govern-
ment findings yesterday that
Baghdad has not met most of the
political, military and economic
markers set by Congress.
Bush appears set on main-
taining the central elements
of the policy he announced in
January, one senior administra-
tion official said after discus-
sions with participants in Bush's
briefings during his surprise
visit to an air base in Iraq on
Monday.
DETROIT
U.S. car sales up
in August
After a dismal start to sum-
mer, August looked a little
brighter for the auto industry
despite continuing concern over
high gas prices and turbulence
in the housing and financial
markets.
U.S. sales were flat compared
with last August, but that was
better than the 12 percent
decline the industry saw in July.
The annualized sales rate for
August was 16.3 million vehi-
cles, the first time that number
topped 16 million vehicles since
May, according to Autodata
Corp. The rate shows what sales
would be if they continued at the
same pace for the full year.
"It's a solid month against a
subpar industry," Paul Ballew,
General Motors Corp.'s top
sales analyst, told investors and
reporters in a conference call.
RENO, Nev.
Aviator Fossett
disappears during
solo flight
Millionaire adventurer Steve
Fossett, who has cheated death
time and again in his successful
pursuit of aviation records, was
missing yesterday after taking
off in a single-engine plane the
day before to scout locations for
a land-speed record, officials
said.
Teams searched a broad
swath of rugged terrain in
western Nevada near the ranch
where he took off, but search-
ers had little to go on because
he apparently didn't file a flight
plan, a Federal Aviation Admin-
istration spokesman said.
"They are working on some
leads, but they don't know
where he is right now," FAA
spokesman Ian Gregor said.
Fossett, the first person to
circle the world solo in a bal-
loon, was seeking places for an
upcoming attempt to break the
land speed record in a car, said
Paul Charles, a spokesman for

Sir Richard Branson, the U.K.
billionaire who has financed
many of Fossett's adventures.
WASHINGTON
Thompson to
enter presidential
race with ad, video
Former Tennessee sena-
tor Fred Thompson plans to
announce his official entry into
the Republican presidential con-
test tomorrow. But he'll pique
interest first on today with an ad
aired during a GOP presidential
debate from New Hampshire
that Thompson will otherwise
skip.
By then he will have taped
an appearance on NBC's "The
Tonight Show With Jay Leno,"
which will air about an hour
after the debate ends in many
U.S. households. Come mid-
night, he'll post a 15-minute
video announcement on his offi-
cial website.
- Compiled from
Daily wire reports
39741
Number of American service
members who have died in the
War in Iraq, according to The
Associated Press. The Depart-
ment of Defense did not identify
any new deceased service mem-
bers yesterday.

Suicide blasts kill 25 in Pakistan

Two attacks yesterday's blasts, which occurred
amid great political tension.
were connected Musharraf is facing one of the
most serious challenges to his eight-
year rule as he seeks re-election.
By SALMAN MASOOD Meanwhile, the Pakistani military
The New York Times is battling militants sympathetic
to the Taliban and al-Qaida in the
RAWALPINDI, Pakistan - Pow- tribal areas straddling the Afghan
erful coordinated explosions set border.
off by two suicide bombers jolted Javed Iqbal Cheema, a spokes-
this garrison city near Islamabad, man for the Interior Ministry, con-
the capital, early yesterday, kill- firmed that suicide bombers had
ing at least 25 people, some from carried out both attacks, Pakistani
Pakistan's intelligence agency, and news media reported. Cheema said
wounding at least 68, government the attacks were connected and
and military officials said. were related to the situation in the
The brazen attacks took place tribal areas.
within a mile of each other in The first blast occurred at 7:15
the heart of Rawalpindi, a tightly a.m. in the Qasim Market neighbor-
guarded city and home to the head- hood. A bus loaded with security
quarters of Pakistan's military. personnel, most in civilian clothes,
The president, Gen. Pervez Mush- stopped at a regular pickup point
arraf, survived two assassination before it blew up, witnesses said.
attempts here in 2003. Eighteen people died, Cheema said.
No one claimed responsibility for Many of the victims worked for

Pakistan's Inter-Services Intel-
ligence agency, according to an
intelligence official, who spoke on
condition of anonymity, and a wit-
ness.
"Onebadlywoundedpersonwith
burned clothes told me that he was
from the ISI as he lay near the bus,"
said the witness, Imram Khan, who
lives about 200 yards from where
the bus exploded. "He told me to
call the rescue police."
But the connection to the intel-
ligence agency was not officially
acknowledged.
Msj. Gen. Waheed Arshad, a
spokesman for the Pakistani mili-
tary, said only, "The bus belonged
to one of the organizations working
under the Ministry of Defense."
Khan described a scene of dev-
astation. "The explosion was very
loud," he said. The roof of the man-
gled bus was ripped apart, and win-
dows were blown out, he said.
"I saw nine dead bodies," he said.

"Four were lying in front of the
bus. Body parts were scattered all
over. A few intestines fell inside my
house."
Security officials quickly cor-
doned off the area before towing
the bus.
The second blast occurred 20
minutes later at a busy intersection
lined with small storefronts in the
Royal Artillery Bazaar neighbor-
hood. Seven people were killed, the
Pakistani Interior Ministry said.
Nine vehicles were severely dam-
aged.
Pools of blood dottedthe asphalt.
Shards of glass were strewn about.
A charred motorbike was parked
nearby. Ball bearings and shrapnel
pierced the walls and shutters of
nearby stores.
Pakistani officials played down
fears that the blasts would result
in the imposition of a state of emer-
gency or in a delay in presidential
and general elections this year.

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