0 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Monday, November 30, 2009 - 3A NEWSBRIEFS TEGUCIALPA, Honduras * Honduras hopes to move past coup with election Hondurans yesterday elected a new president whose first challenge will be defending his legitimacy to the world and ending a crisis over a June coup that has isolated one of Latin America's poorest countries. Porfirio Lobo and Elvin Santos, two prosperous businessmen from the political old guard, are the front- runners. But their campaigns have been overshadowed by the debate over whether Hondurans should vote at all in an election largely * shunned by international monitors. The dispute has split Western Hemisphere countries, and voter turnoutcould determinehow widely the next government is recognized. The United States, hoping to resolve its first major policy test in Latin America, is defending the election while leftist governments allegeitwhitewashesCentralAmer- ica's first coup in 20 years. WASHINGTON Senator says Afghan forces, not US, key to success The leading Senate Democrat on militarymatters said yesterdaythat President Barack Obama's antici- pated plan forsignificantlyexpand- ing U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan must show how those reinforce- ments will help increase the size of the Afghan security forces. Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said that more Afghan army and police are central to succeeding in the 8-year-old war and more U.S. trainers and equipment can help meet that goal. But it's unclear, Levin said, what role tens of thou- sands additional combat troops will play and Obama has to make a compelling case during a nation- al address he's scheduled to give Tuesday night from the U.S. Mili- tary Academy at West Point, N.Y. "Thekeyhere is anAfghansurge, not anAmerican surge," said Levin, D-Mich. "We cannot, by ourselves, win (the) war." Levin's remarks are a preview of the possible roadblocks Obama faces from his own party as he pre- pares to sell a broader, more expen- sive battle plan for Afghanistan to an American public weary of the conflict that began just weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. GENEVA Iran defies United Nations Iran plans 1O uranium enrichment facilities, despite UN opposition TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran approved plans yesterday to build 10 industrial scale uranium enrichment facilities, a dramat- ic expansion of the program in defiance of U.N. demands it halt enrichment and a move that is likely to significantly heighten tensions with the West. The decision comes only days after the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency censured Iran over its pro- gram and demanded it halt the construction of a newly revealed enrichment facility. The West has signaled itisrunningoutofpatience with Iran's continuing enrichment and its balking at a U.N. deal aimed at ensuring Tehran cannot build a nuclear weapon in the near-term future. The U.S. and its allies have hinted atnewU.N. sanctions if Iran does not respond. The White House said the move "would be yet another serious vio- lation of Iran's clear obligations under multiple U.N. Security Coun- cil resolutions and anotherexample of Iran choosing to isolate itself." "Time is running out for Iran to address the international com- munity's growing concerns about its nuclear program," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband described Iran's move as a provocation. "This epitomizes the fundamen- tal problem that we face with Iran," he said. "We have stated over and again that we recognize Iran's right to a civilian nuclear program, but theymustrestore internationalcon- fidence in their intentions. Instead of engaging with us Iran chooses to provoke and dissemble." On Friday, the U.N.'s Inter- national Atomic Energy Agency issued a strong rebuke of Iran over enrichment, infuriating Tehran. Parliament speaker Ali Larijani threatened yesterday to reduce cooperation with the IAEA. "Should the West continue to pressure us, the legislature can reconsider the level of Iran's coop- eration with the IAEA," Larijani told parliament ina speech carried live on state radio. Vice President Ali Akbar Salehi, who is also Iran's nuclear chief, said Sunday's decision was "a firm message" in response to the IAEA. He told state TV that the agency's censure was a challenge aimed at "measuring the resistance of the Iranian nation." Any new enrichment plants would take years to build and stock with centrifuges. But the ambitious plans were a bold show by Iran that it is willing to risk further sanctions and won't back down amid a deadlock in negotia- tion attempts. Police gather at the site where four police officers were killed in an ambush at the Forza Coffee Co. near Parkland, Wash. yesterday. Four police officers killed at coffeshop Police looking for one male suspect in 'execution' of Washington officers PARKLAND, Wash. (AP) - A gunman burst into a coffee- house yesterday and opened fire on four police officers as they sat working on their laptops, killing the three men and one woman in what an official described as a targeted ambush. Pierce County Sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said offi- cers were looking for one male suspect who fled the scene and haven't ruled out an accomplice, possibly a getaway driver. Troyer said investigators had spoken to a person in nearby Tacoma, who gave informa- tion that led them to believe the gunman was on foot and still near the coffee shop. Troyer would not given any details nor characterize that person in any way, but said the information led officers to carefully search buildings close by. It wasn't clear whether the slain officers even had time to draw their weapons to return fire, Troyer said. "This was more of an execu- tion. Walk in with the spe- cific mindset to shoot police officers," Troyer said. Troyer said the officers - all from the Lakewood Police Department - were catching up on paperwork at the beginning of their shifts when they were attacked at 8:15 a.m. yesterday. Troyer said the attack was clearly targeted at the officers, not a robbery gone bad. "There were marked patrol cars outside and they were all in uniform," Troyer said. With no known suspects, there was no indication of any connection with the Hallow- een night shooting of a Seattle police officer. The suspect in that shooting remains hospi- talized. "We won't know if it's a copy- cat effect or what it was until we get the case solved," Troyer said. "We don't even have a sus- pect ID right now." Troyer would not release the names of the victims in Sun- day's shooting. He said Lake- wood has a small police force and the deaths represent a loss of 10 percent to 15 percent of the department. Y 4 t c f :i'. 'f E w # f w- fr F i Y r f 1 ti FOR RE TURNING STUDENTS? UNIVERSITY WE WANT YOU BACK HOUSING. y ise Stockwell, Mosher-Jordan, www.options.housing.unich.edu Northwood III, North Quad, and ...-.....-.. -.. -.. -- --.--.--.--.--..-. more.all reserved just for you. r The Time of Your Life UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN DIVISION OF STUDENT AFFAIRS tootist 50I P ieler Cheek-ep Swiss approve ban R of mosque minarets Swiss voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional ban on minarets yesterday, barring con- struction ofthe iconic mosque towers in a surprise vote that put Switzer- land at the forefront of a European backlash against a growing Muslim population. Muslim groups in Switzerland and abroad condemned the vote as biased and anti-Islamic. Business groups said the decision hurt Swit- zerland's international standing and could damage relations with Muslim nations and wealthy investors who bank, travel and shop there. "The Swiss have failed to give a clear signal for diversity, freedom of religion and human rights," said Omar Al-Rawi, integration represen- tative ofthe Islamic Denomination in Austria, which said its reaction was "grief and deep disappointment." KALAMAZOO, Mich. 1 EPA sets meetings on two Kalamazoo river cleanups The U.S. Environmental Protec- tion Agency has announced two public meetings set this week for two Kalamazoo River cleanup projects. The Kalamazoo Gazette reports the EPA will host a 6:30 p.m. meet- ing Tuesday at the Comfort Inn and Conference Center in Plainwell to update the public on planned clean- up activities and other developments at the Plainwell portion of the Kala- mazoo River Superfund project. Offi- cials will take comments and answer questions. A Thursday night meeting will review cleanup alternatives being proposed by Millennium Holdings Co. LLC, the responsible party in the Allied Paper/Portage Creek/Kala- mazoo River Superfund project. The 6:30 p.m. meeting will be held at the Radisson Plaza Hotel and Suites in Kalamazoo. - Compiled from Daily wire reports UUuLaLlu HPV Fact: it is estimated that e a minutein t he US, there, is a. new case of There's something you can do. Visi your Attend an information session. Tuesday, December 1st 6:30 p.m. U-M International Center, Room 9 800.424.8580 1 www.peacecorps.gov Life is calling. How far will you go? ,