The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Tueday, March 8, 2011 - 3

The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom TuedayMarch8,2011-3

NEWS BRIEFS
* DETROIT
Kilpatrick denies
talk about stripper
Former Detroit Mayor Kwame
Kilpatrick, accused of obstruct-
ing the police investigation into
the death of a stripper, testified
yesterday that the 2003 fatal
shooting was never discussed
among high-ranking officials in
his administration.
Kilpatrick was in court to
answer questions about what
may have happened to his e-mail
in 2002 and 2003. After more
than two hours of testimony, he
offered his firmest public deni-
al yet of any role in stifling the
investigation.
"Unequivocally, we never dis-
cussed Tamara Greene. It had
absolutely nothing to do with
" us," Kilpatrick said in response
to friendly questioning by a city
attorney.
SANTA ANA, Calif.
Killer on death row
named suspect in
unsolved murder
Authorities say a convicted
serial killer on death row is sus-
pected in the long-unsolved
murder of a 19-year-old aspiring
actress in the San Francisco Bay
area.
The Orange County Register
reported yesterday that Marin
County investigators believe
Rodney Alcala was responsible
for the death of Pamela Lambson
in 1977. However, detectives say
Alcala won't be charged because
of insufficient genetic material.
Alcala was convicted last year
of murdering a 12-year-old girl
and four womenin Southern Cal-
ifornia in the late 1970s. He was
recently indicted in the deaths of
two women in New York.
Lambson disappeared after she
went to pose for a freelance pho-
tographer in San Francisco. Her
battered body was found the next
day.
LIMA, Peru
Van der Sloot to
argue temporary
insanity at trial
Joran van der Sloot plans to
plead guilty to killing a young
Peruvian woman he met gam-
bling but will argue temporary
insanity in a bid to significantly
shorten his sentence, his defense
lawyer said yesterday.
Van der Sloot, the key suspect
in the 2005 disappearance of U.S.
teenager Natalee Holloway on
the Caribbean island of Aruba,
will use a "violent emotion"
defense in the slaying of Steph-
any Flores, attorney Maximo
Altez told The Associated Press.
Altez said he filed papers three
weeks ago informing prosecutors
of his intent to argue that Van der

Sloot became enraged and killed
the 21-year-old Peruvian busi-
ness student last May 30 because
she had learned of his relation to
Holloway by looking in his lap-
top.
ROME
1,000 immigrants
arrive in Italy
from North Africa
More than 1,000 migrants
from North Africa have arrived
in Italy-overnight, some in rick-
ety boats that had to be escorted
ashore by the Italian coast guard.
It was one of the biggest arriv-
als since a steady influx of Tuni-
sians started in mid-January,
when an uprising ousted the
country's longtime president
and caused a breakdown in
coastal patrols. The uprising in
Libya also has caused concern
here that tens of thousands of
migrants might be on their way.
News, reports said yesterday
that a dozen boats had landed in
the tiny Sicilian island of Lampe-
dusa since shortly before mid-
night. The migrants are mostly
Tunisians.
Italy has sought the help of
Europe .as it copes with the
migrant influx.
-Compiled from
Daily wire reports

French court puts
corruption trial
of Chirac on hold

Charges against
former French
president allege
misuse of funds
PARIS (AP) - Time may again
be on Jacques Chirac's side.
The French former president
gained a one-day reprieve - and
possibly much more - after a
Paris court said it needs time to
rule whether a historic corruption
trial that started yesterday with
him as the star defendant adheres
to France's constitution and can
go forward.
The trial of Chirac is the first of
aformerFrenchheadofstatesince
the World War II era, when Mar-
shal Philippe Petain, the leader
of France's Nazi collaborationist
regime, was convicted of treason
and shipped into exile.
And with France's presidential
election on the way next year, the
trial is shaping up as a glimpse of
the unseemly underworld of kick-
backs, corruption and embezzle-
ment that has long roiled the
French politicalsystem.
The trial centers on Chirac's
time as Paris mayor between 1977
and 1995 - before he was elected
president - and claims that he
and his allies misused city funds.
He hasrepeatedlydenied the alle-
gations.
Chirac was not on hand for the
trial start yesterday, which was
largely procedural. But a lawyer
for one of his nine co-defendants
argued that a key complaint in
the case was made too long ago to
merit a trial today.
Presiding Judge Dominique
Pauthe heard arguments by the
defense attorneys - backedby the
Paris prosecutor - about whether
combining two cases at the root of

the case meets a crucial constitu-
tionaltest.
The trial centers on an alleged
28 jobs paid for by Chirac's City
Hall from 1992 to 1995, but for
work that instead benefited his
RPR political party and its allies.
It has been brought by two inves-
tigating magistrates in Paris and
suburban Nanterre, whose two
cases have been fused into one.
Jean-Yves Le Borgne, lawyer
for former Chirac chief-of-staff
Remy Chardon, argued that the
statute of limitations had run out
on the Paris case - and that the
one in Nanterre was joined to it
just to get around that fact.
After a 2-1/2-hour hearing,
Pauthe said his panel will rule
by Tuesday whether Le Bor-
gne's call for the Court of Cassa-
tion, France's highest court, to
get involved was warranted - a
move that could delay the trial for
weeks.
The Court of Cassation, if
summoned, would have the
option of sending the motion
to the Constitutional Council,
which judges the constitution-
ality of French laws.
Interestingly, Chirac,
because he is a former presi-
dent, is a member of that
council, and former National
Assembly president Jean-Lou-
is Debre, the brother of one
of the other trial defendants,
Francois Debre, heads it.
A referral to the Court of
Cassation would mean a tem-
porary reprieve for Chirac that
could last for days, weeks or
even a year.
Chirac, who had been plan-
ning on coming to court for
Tuesday's proceedings, has
now put off his appearance for
at least one day, according to
his spokeswoman, Benedicte
Brissart.

JOHN HART/AP
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker addresses the media regarding a letter received from Sen. Mark Miller (D-Monona) yes-
terday in Madison, Wisc.
Wisc. governor refuses to
metwith state Democrats

unisia eliminates
hated police force

Prime minister
names new leaders
after revolt
TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) -
Tunisia's prime minister named
a new interim government yes-
terday and a much-hated police
unit was disbanded as the
interim leadership of this North
African nation seeks to stabilize
a country still finding its way
after a popular revolt.
Prime Minister Beji Caid
Essebsi kept the heads of the
key defense, interior, justice
and foreign affairs ministries,
but named new figures to six
posts vacated last week. Some
ministers who left were seen as
too close to the regime of oust-
ed President Zine El Abidine
Ben Ali. Others who resigned
hope to run for office and were
forced out.
Caid Essebsi reiterated that
his priorities are re-establish-
ing security, rebuilding Tuni-
sia's troubled economy, and
bringing life back to normal in
the country that has long been
a tourist draw for sun-minded
Europeans.
"Without security, there is
no development and investors
won't come back," he told a
news conference.
Meanwhile, the Interior
Ministry announced it has
abolished the dreaded State
Security Department, whose
so-called political police spied
on and harassed citizens under
Ben Ali.
The ministry said on its Face-
book page that it is dismantling
the force "in accordance with
the values and the principles of
the revolution."
Its disbanding has been one
of the demands of the pro-
democracy activists who have
kept up the pressure on the
interim leadership as it seeks to
navigate the country into a new
era, following an uprising that
ousted Ben Ali on Jan.14, which
in turn sparked revolts around

the Arab world.
It also comes as Tunisia
struggles to cope with tens of
thousands of refugees stream-
ing across its border from Libya.
By making the announce-
ment on Facebook, the ministry
was also sending a statement
to the protesters. Under Ben
Ali, Tunisian authorities sup-
pressed independent media
and political dissent, but anti-
government movements mobi-
lized on social networking
sites to stage demonstrations
in December and January.
Many protests turned deadly, as
police fired on crowds.
The 84-year-old Caid Esseb-
si, himself named just a week
ago after his predecessor quit
amid renewed protests, said the
new appointments have been
approved by the interim presi-
dent. He had said on Friday that
he would present a new Cabinet
to help pull his country back
from the "abyss."
Last week, interim president
Fouad Mebazaa announced an
election on July 24 for a body
that will draw up a new consti-
tution.
"We must ensure that these
elections are a success and that
they are honest and transpar-
ent," Caid Essebsi said.
Electing a constituent assem-
bly is seen as a step toward
eventual presidential elections.
The prime minister said he
was open to all political ten-
dencies in a country that had
known only one-party rule.
Two opposition leaders were
among those who left the gov-
ernment last week, citing an
order that ministers not run for
president.
Sorbonne-educated Abder-
razak Zouari was named to
replace Nejib Chebbi, head
of the PDP party, as regional
development minister.
And U.S.- and French-trained
professor Rifaat Chaabouni
was promoted to minister for
higher education and research,
replacing Ettajdid party chief
Ahmed Brahim.

Walker calls
request to alter bill
ridiculous'
MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Wis-
consin Democrats who fled the
state nearly three weeks ago
asked yesterday for a meeting
with Gov. Scott Walker to talk
about changes to his plan to
eliminate most public workers'
union rights, a request the gov-
ernor dismissed as "ridiculous."
Walker said he and his
administration have 'been in
communication with at least
a couple of the AWOL Senate
Democrats about a deal that
could bring them back, but the
lawmaker who asked for the
meeting, Senate Minority Lead-
er Mark Miller, "is firmly stand-
ing in the way."
That accusation led to a
flurry of angry responses from
Democrats who said Walker
was misrepresenting the talks.
The sometimes-angry exchange
suggested that any resolution to
the stalemate was farther away
than ever -
"Right now,;I'm so damn mad
at his misrepresentation of the
truth and the public should be
as well," said Sen. Bob Jauch,
one of two Democrats who had
talked last week with the Sen-
ate Republican leader about
possible compromises. "Trust is
completely broken down now. I
don't believe anything he says."
The standoff has drawn
national attention and placed
Wisconsin at the center a vig-
orous debate over the future of
union rights. Walker's propos-
al to balance the state budget
remains in limbo because, with-
out the 14 Democrats, the state
Senate does not have enough
members present for a quo-
rum.
The senators said pressure
is mounting on Walker and
the GOP to compromise after
weeks of protests that have
drawn tens of thousands of
people to the Capitol.
In addition, polls show sub-
stantial opposition to the gov-
ernor and his plan, and recall
efforts have been launched
against Republican senators.
Recall efforts have also begun
against the Democrats.
"The problem for the Dem-
ocrats is to figure out how to
come back and not be seen
as conceding," said Charles
Franklin, a University of Wis-
consin-Madison political sci-
ence professor and founder of
pollster.com.
"Both sides have been so
strongly supported by their
constituencies that it makes it
awfully hard to compromise
unless they can find a way to
both claim victory," Franklin
said. "And that's certainly dif-
ficult."
Walker tried to place blame
for the stalemate on Miller,
the Democratic leader in the
Senate, saying he blocked
progress on talks with Jauch
and Sen. Tim Cullen.

"It leads you to question
who's in charge," Walker
said at a news conference
also attended by the Republi-
can leaders of the Senate and
Assembly.
Miller issued a statement
saying if Walker didn't want
to talk with him, the governor
could meet with any of the 14

Senate Democrats. And Demo- rest of us. This isn't our fight.
cratic Sen. Jon Erpenbach said This is the citizens' fight."
it was Walker who was standing Since last week, Miller has
in the way. been talking about the impor-
"We continually reach out tance of returning to oppose
with suggestions, ideas, offers," Walker's larger budget bill,
Erpenbach said. "We're not the which cuts about $1 billion from
ones getting in the way." public schools and local govern-
Before Walker refused the ments to deal with a projected
meeting request, Democrats $3.6 billion shortfall.
were talking more openly about "I don't think a lot of us have
the need to return sooner rather the stomach to stay away and
than later. And even if they lose watch our state plummet off a
in a Senate vote, the lawmak- cliff," Democratic Sen. Chris
ers said, they had accomplished Larson said.
their broader goal of striking Miller sent a letter yesterday
a nationwide political blow to Walker and the Republican
against the GOP's plans to cut Senate Majority Leader Scott
back union rights. Fitzgerald asking for an in-per-
"I don't think anyone expects son meeting "as soon as possible
us to stay here forever," Jauch to resume negotiations" on how
said in a telephone interview to resolve the impasse over the
from Illinois. union bill.
Walker's proposal would Fitzgerald replied to Miller's
remove most collective bargain- request saying he forfeited his
ing rights for public employees, right to make changes to the bill
except over wage increases no when he skipped town rather
greater than inflation. Police than propose changes on the
and fire departments would be floor of the Senate.
the only exemptions. The legis- "While we wait for you and
lation would also require state your colleagues to finally show
workers to start paying more for up, Senate Republicans continue
their pension and heilth care o stand ready t dt -he job we
benefits starting in April, which were elected to do, here in Wis-
amounts to an 8 percent pay cut consin," Fitzgerald said in the
on average. letter. "I hope you are enjoying
The unions have agreed to yourvacation, and yourvacation
the pay concessions as long as from reality."
they can retain their bargain- Both sides had been talking
ing rights. Over the past three . last week, but Democrats said
weekends, rallies at the Capitol negotiations broke down Thurs-
in opposition to the bill have day. Walker said his adminis-
grown as large as 80,000 peo- tration continued talks over
ple. the weekend, and he person-
"We want to come back to the ally called a senator yesterday
state of Wisconsin and stand morning.
with these hundreds of thou- Walker refused to describe
sands of citizens who are now what specifically was being
engaged," Jauch said. "Every negotiated, other than to say
day I feel like I'm closer to get- there were multiple ideas that
ting back because there has to get to the "mechanics of the
be a transition from us to the process."
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