0 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Tuesday, November 20, 2007 - 3

NEWS BRIEFS
TEHRAN, Iran
Iran, Venezuela
heads affirm joint
opposition to U.S.
Venezuela's outspoken president
joined with Iran's leader yesterday
in boasting that they are "united
like a single fist" in challenging
American influence, saying the fall
of the dollar is a sign that "the U.S.
empire is coming down."
Hugo Chavez also joked about
the most serious issue the U.S.
is confronting regarding Iran
- nuclear weapons - during his
get-together with Iranian leader
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The visit
came after a failed attempt by the
firebrand duo to move OPEC away
from pricing its oil in dollars.
OPEC's weekend summit dis-
played the limits of their alliance
- their proposal was overruled by
other members, led by Saudi Arabia
- but it also showed their potential
for stirring up problems for the U.S.
and its allies.
WASHINGTON
Across nation, hate
crimes increase
Hate crime incidents rose nearly
8 percent last year, the FBI reported
yesterday, as civil rights advocates
increasingly take to the streets to
protest what they call official indif-
ference to intimidation and attacks
against blacks and other minorities.
Police across the nation reported
7,722 criminal incidents in 2006
targeting victims or property as a
result of bias against a race, reli-
gion, sexual orientation, ethnic or
national origin or physical or men-
tal disability. That was up 7.8 per-
cent from 7,163 incidents reported
in 2005.
More than half the incidents
were motivated by racial prejudice,
but the report did not even pick up
all the racially motivated incidents
last year.
Although the noose incidents
and beatings among students at
Jena, La., high school occurred in
the last half of 2006, they were not
included in the report.
KABUL, Afghanistan
U.N.: Afghan
bodyguards opened
fire maliciously
Afghan lawmakers' body-
guards fired indiscriminately into
a crowd after a suicide bombing
and children bore the brunt of the
onslaught, according to an internal
U.N. report obtained yesterday. The
report calls the shooting deliberate
and criminal.
The United Nations mission in
Afghanistan said the report is one
of several conflicting views inside
the world body and has not been
officially endorsed.
The report by the U.N. Depart-
ment of Safety and Security said
it was not clear how many people
died in the suicide bombing and
how many died from gunfire that
erupted after the Nov. 6 attack in
Baghlan province. Sixty-one stu-

dents and six lawmakers were
among those killed.
ACWORTH, Ga.
Three adolescent
boys held in the rape
of 11-year-old girl
Three boys, ages 8 and 9, were
being held yesterday in a detention
center on charges of kidnapping
 and raping an 11-year-old girl near
a suburban apartment complex,
officials said.
The alleged attack happened
Thursday and the girl's mother
reported it to authorities Sunday,
Acworth police Capt. Wayne Den-
nard said.
"The victim said they were play-
ing outdoors and the girl was forced
into a wooded area where she was
sexually assaulted, where one of
the boys raped her," Dennard told
The Associated Press.
- Compiled from
Daily wire reports
U.S, DE ATMs
3,873
Number of American service mem-
bers who have died in the war in
Iraq, according to The Associated
Press. The military indentified the
following dead service members
yesterday:
Airmam Staff Sgt. Alejandro
Ayala, 26, Riverside, Calif.
Army 2nd Lt. Peter H Burks, 26,
Dallas.

Appeal filed to save
Jan.15 primary
Attorney general direct Secretary of State Terri
Lynn Land not to disclose any of
the records showing which bal-
Supreme Court to lots voters took until the court
rules on that section.
uphold date Plaintiff Mark Grebner, an
East Lansing political consultant
who brought the case along with
LANSING (AP) - Michigan several others, says the informa-
officials are taking another stab at tion in the records is worth $5
getting the courts to save the Jan. million to $10 million and argues
15 presidential primary. that others should have access to
The attorney general's office it since it's information obtained
yesterday filed an appeal with the through an election paid for with
Michigan Supreme Court, asking public dollars.
it to overturn an appeals court But state officials argue in
decision that the primary elec- their appeal that providing the
tion law is unconstitutional. State primary information to the politi-
election officials want the court cal parties would protect against
to rule by noon tomorrow so they crossover voting, keep the voter
can get absentee ballots out by information from becoming pub-
Dec. 1. lic knowledge and increase voter
"Absent a resolution of defen- participation by allowing a pri-
dants' appeal by noon ... (Elec- mary rather than more restrictive
tions Director Chris) Thomas and caucuses or party conventions.
the various local clerks will be State lawmakers could resolve
unable to complete preparations the issue next week if they
for the holding of the presidential approved a new law setting up
primaries, even if this court later the Jan. 15 election. Democratic
concludes that the injunction was leaders in the state House consid-
wrongly entered," the application ered meeting today, but decided
for appeal said. against it. State GOP Chairman
In their 2-1 ruling, Appeals Saul Anuzis wants the Legislature
Court Judges Patrick Meter and to act, even though the Michigan
Donald Owens objected that Republican Party also backs the
a law setting up the primary appeal.
would let the state political par- "I am confident that the state
ties keep track of voters' names will prevail on its appeal to the
and whether they took Demo- Michigan Supreme Courtbecause
cratic or aGOP primary ballots of the overwhelming public good
but withhold public access to a presidential primary creates,"
that information. Anuzis said Monday in a state-
The state is asking the high ment. "But Democrats in the
court to send the case back to Ing- Michigan House could solve this
ham County Circuit Court and issue once and for all by immedi-
have the complaint dismissed. ately passing legislation that Sen-
Failing that, it wants the ate Republicans sent them two
Supreme Court to approve the weeks ago."
section of the law setting up the That bill also would restore all
Jan. 15 primary and leave for later Democraticpresidentialcandidates
who should get access to the vot- to the primary ballot, something
ing records. The attorney gen- many of the Democrats pushing for
eral's office asks that the court an early primary support.
At border, delays even
for ambulances

Great Taste
EW

Canada calls on U.S.
to stop slowing
emergency teams
ST. CATHARINES, Ontario
(AP ) - Public Safety Minister
Stockwell Day is calling on his
U.S. counterpart to review border
security policy after two incidents
in which American customs offi-
cials delayed Canadian emergency
responders en route to the U.S.
In the first incident, Quebec
firefighters racing to contain a
blaze in upstate New York were
held up at the border as the land-
mark building they were dis-
patched to save burned to the
ground.
The next day, a man being
rushed to Detroit for emergency
heart surgery was delayed for a
critical five minutes when the
ambulance was stopped by U.S.
customs officials.
"Canada and the U.S. have a
great tradition and a history ...
of helping each other in times of
need and times of crisis," Day said
Monday at an unrelated event
about crime prevention.
"We want to make sure that's
maintained. That's why I have
made sure that I've communi-
cated, with some concern, to my
counterpart in the United States

(Homeland Security Secretary
Michael Chertoff) about this."
Homeland Security had not
received the letter as of Monday,
spokeswoman Amy Kudwa told
the Canadian Press.
While Day said the U.S. shared
his concern and believed the inci-
dents were isolated ones, Ottawa
wants to ensure that it is Wash-
ington's "policy to do all they can
to make sure that incidents like
this are avoided."
On Nov. 11, volunteer firefight-
ers from Lacolle, Quebec, got a
call around that the landmark
Anchorage Inn in Rouses Point,
N.Y., was on fire.
The six-man team jumped into
action as they have many times
in the past, thanks to the long-
standing cross-border aid agree-
ment between the two border
communities. This time, how-
ever, they were denied speedy
passage.
The firefighters were delayed
up to 15 minutes as they were
grilled about their identification
by a U.S. customs official. The
inn, meanwhile, burned to the
ground.
On Nov. 12, Rick Laporte, 49,
was being rushed to Detroit's
Henry Ford Hospital for an
emergency angioplasty when the
ambulance was held up at the
Windsor-Detroit border.

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