The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Monday, April 18, 2011-- 3A

NEWS BRIEFS
DETROIT
Detroit Prayer
Walk draws more
than 10,000 people
Thousands of people dedicated
to restoring hope to a suffering
city poured onto its main thor-
oughfare Saturday to take part in
the Detroit Prayer Walk.
The massive crowd filled
Woodward Avenue for the round-
trip morning trek between two
downtown landmarks, the Detroit
Tigers' home of Comerica Park
and the Spirit of Detroit statue.
The gathering easily surpassed
10,000 people and appeared to
come close to reachingorganizers'
estimates of between 15,000 and
20,000.
"I don't want to miss out on
something God is doing," said
Tony Barker, 28, who pulled his
two young sons in a red wagon.
The industrial roofer and resident
of the Detroit suburb of Warren
came with his family and at least
50 others by bus from his church.
The Christian crowd was unit-
ed in faith but demographically
diverse, featuring young and old,
black and white, city and subur-
ban.
LOS ANGELES
Porn producers
face investigation,
HIV allegations
Health officials say porn pro-
ducers are dodging questions and
slowing down an investigation
into a case of HIV that shuttered
production at several companies
last year.
The Los Angeles Times reports
that health officials are struggling
to make headway on a probe, a
process that is usually much more
efficient when there is a disease
outbreak.
In a report obtained by the
newspaper, Dr. Francisco Meza
says adult film companies refuse
to cooperate with the investiga-
tion, and stage names for perform-
ers make it difficult to track down
partners.
MEXICO CITY
* Mexico security
chief replaced after
145 bodies found
The Tamaulipas state govern-
ment in Mexico has replaced its
public security chief after 145
bodies showed up in mass graves
there in the last two weeks.
Gov. Egidio Torre Cantu says in
a statement that he tapped former
military Capt. Rafael Lomeli Mar-
tinez for his experience with mili-
tary and federal authorities.
State Interior Secretary More-
los Canseco told Milenio TV yes-
terday that the outgoing chief,
retired Brig. Gen. Ubaldo Ayala
Tinoco, resigned in light of new
national efforts to beefup security
in the violent border state, where
72 Central and South American

migrants also were found slaugh-
tered in August.
. ROME
France blocks
entry to Tunisian
immigrants
A train carrying Tunisian
immigrants from Italy was halted
at the French border yesterday in
an escalation of an international
dispute over the fate of North
African migrants fleeing political
unrest for refuge in Europe.
But France blamed what it said
were hundreds of activists on the
train planning a demonstration in
France, and posing a problem to
public order. Traffic was re-estab-
lished by evening - but not before
Italy lodged a formal protest.
"At no time was there a ... clos-
ing of the border between France
and Italy," French Interior Min-
istry spokesman Pierre-Henri
Brandet said. It was an "isolated
problem," he said by telephone,
"an undeclared demonstration."
He estimated that up to 10
trains may have been affected,
five on each side.
-Compiled from
Daily wire reports

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks to U.S. Embassy employees and their families at the embassy in
Tokyo yesterday. Clinton is on a brief visit to Tokyo intended as a morale boost to the crucial U.S. ally.
inton visits Tokyo to
show support for Japan

Palin praises Gov.
Walker at Ill.rally
On Capitol steps, a bill into law last month that
calls for almost all public work-
former Alaska gov. ers to contribute more to their
pensions and health care cover-
defends Walker's age, changes that amount to an
average 8 percent pay cut. The
union law plan also strips them of their
right to collectively bargain on
MADISON, Wis. (AP) - anything except wages.
Sarah Palin defended Wiscon- Walker has said the law will
sin's governor at a tea party help balance a $3.6 billion hole
tax day rally Saturday, telling in the state budget and give
hundreds of supporters that his local governments the flexibility
polarizing union rights law is they need to absorb deep cuts in
designed to save public jobs. state aid.
Braving snow showers and Democrats, though, think
a frigid wind outside the state Walker wants to weaken unions,
Capitol building, the former one of their strongest constitu-
Alaska governor and GOP vice encies.
presidential candidate told tea Tens of thousands of people
partyers she's glad to stand with descended on the Capitol to pro-
Gov. Scott Walker. Hundreds test nonstop for weeks against
of labor supporters surrounded the plan and minority Demo-
the rally, trying to drown Palin crats in the state Senate fled to
out with chants of "Hey-hey, Illinois to block a vote in that
ho-ho, Scott Walker has got to chamber, drawing national
go!" and "Recall Walker!" attention to the controversy.
"Hey, folks! He's trying to Republicans eventually passed
save your jobs and your pen- the plan without them and Walk-
sions!" Palin yelled into the er signed the measure in early
microphone. "Your governor March. Democrats managed to
did the right thing and you won! win a temporary court order
Your beautiful state won! And blocking the law from taking
people still have their jobs!" effect, but tensions are still run-
Walker, a Republicanf, signed ning high over the measure.
Fierce fighting in
west Lbakls 17

Sec. of State:
Despite disasters,
Japan will remain
a 'gobal player'
TOKYO (AP) - U.S. Secre-
tary of State Hillary Rodham
Clinton said yesterday that
America would stand by Japan,
saying she was confident the
country will fully recover from
its tsunami and nuclear disas-
ters.
"We are very confident that
Japan will recover and will be a
very strong economic and glob-
al player for years and decades
to come," Clinton told Prime
Minister Naoto Kan during a
brief visit to Tokyo intended
as a morale boost to the crucial
U.S. ally.
Kan thanked Clinton for U.S.
help with the crises triggered
by a magnitude-9.0 earthquake
on March 11 that unleashed
a massive tsunami, wrecking
cooling and power systems at
a nuclear plant that has been
leaking radiation ever since.
"We will never forget and
we will keep in our memory
that the U.S. has provided such
robust support," said Kan, in
comments suggesting the aid
has helped soothe friction over
an American military base in
Okinawa that forced his pre-

decessor, Yukio Hatoyama, to
resign last year.
Relief operations mounted
by American soldiers after the
earthquake and tsunami helped
show a new and welcome face
for troops the Japanese have
hosted - sometimes grudgingly
- for decades.
Roughly 20,000 U.S. troops
were mobilized in "Operation
Tomodachi," or "Friend," the
biggest bilateral humanitarian
mission the U.S. has conducted
in Japan. The U.S. is also help-
ing Japan cope with its nuclear
crisis.
Kan has pledged to beef
up disaster preparedness and
make his top priority resolv-
ing the crisis at the tsunami-
wrecked Fukushima Dai-ichi
nuclear plant.
Tokyo Electric Power Co.,
the operator of the plant,
announced yesterday a plan to
bring the crisis under control
within six to nine months, aim-
ing to end radiation leaks that
have forced the evacuation of
tens of thousands of people.
"We would like to see evacu-
ees return to their homes as
early as possible," said TEPCO
Chairman Tsunehisa Katsu-
mata.
Clinton said Foreign Minis-
ter Takeaki Matsumoto, who
she met with earlier, told her
that Japan hoped for U.S. feed-
back on the plan.

"The constant efforts to
respond to the situation at
Fukushima have required
intense analysis by Japanese,
American and international
experts, and we have been very
supportive of what Japan is
doing to take the appropriate
steps," she said.
Clinton and Matsumoto
announced the formation of
a public-private partnership
to encourage investment in
the recovery effort. The aim is
to keep American businesses
interested in Japan by demon-
strating its ability to bounce
back from daunting natural
disasters.
"There has been a great
outpouring of concern, sym-
pathy and admiration for the
great resilience and spirit the
Japanese people have shown
throughout this very difficult
experience," Clinton said.
Clinton, who called Japan's
well-being a "bedrock prior-
ity," also met with the Japanese
emperor and empress. She was
due to return to the U.S. later
yesterday.
"I am so, so sorry for every-
thing your country is going
through. If there is anything we
can do ..." Clinton said to Emper-
or Akihito and Empress Michiko,
who have been visiting evacua-
tion centers near Tokyo and plan
visits to areas hardest hit by the
disasters in coming weeks.

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dhafi's forces "Residents have become so
accustomed to the sound of mor-
e rebel Libyans tars and missiles," he said. "Snip-
ers are still on the roofs of tall
h mortar and buildings shooting at anything
that moves in the city center."
grenades Rebels fought government
forces back from an area around
kBIYA, Libya (AP) - a central produce market, regain-
out under a rain of shell- ing a small sliver of territory, said
sniper fire, Libyan rebels Rida al-Montasser, a local activist
Moammar Gadhafi's fort- reached by Skype.
erday in close-quarters He said a hospital report that
n the city center of Misra- he received from a doctor, showed
ist major rebel foothold in 17 people, including rebels, were
Libya. Seventeen people killed and 74 others were injured.
lied, an NGO worker and He said Gadhafi forces had fired
sition activist said. at the city's hospital yesterday.
rnment troops have been A worker for a foreign NGO
iege to the city on Libya's who visited the hospital yesterday
'ranean coast for weeks, also said 17 bodies were brought
ng repeated international in, including that of a girl shot
gs of a dire humanitarian in the head. Other children who
n as well as calls for NATO had been shot were among the
o intensify airstrikes on wounded, he said.
's forces there. Explosions thundered late into
rday, government troops, the night, al-Montasser said.
ve pushed into the city The NATO-led air campaign
from the outskirts in authorized by the U.N. to pro-
days, pounded Misrata tect civilians and enforce a no-fly
ortar rounds and rocket- zone has failed to stop govern-
d grenades, said resident ment shelling that, according to
alam, who only provided residents and witnesses, has hit
n name for fear of retribu- Misrata's hospital, the port and
residential areas.


Nigerian incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan, second right, registers to vote in Otuoke, Nigeria on Saturday.
Nigerians chose their president in an election many hoped would show how Africa's most populous nation could hold a
credible vote without the violence and rigging that marred previous ones.
Nigerian president takes
large lead in weekend vote

U-M Computer Showcase
Michigan Union.- Pierpont Commons 9,
http://showcase.itcs.umich.edu . www.apple.com/education
-- .5

Jonathan wins
19.4M votes out of
31.1M count
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) -
Nigerian President Goodluck
Jonathan took a nearly insur-
mountable lead yesterday in
the election to lead the oil-rich
nation, though fragmented
returns suggested the Christian
incumbent faced strong opposi-
tion from the country's Muslim
north.
Meanwhile, authorities in the
vice president's northern Nige-
rian hometown said that eight
people had been wounded in a
bomb blast at a hotel in a poor
neighborhood hours after voters
cast their ballots in the other-
wise peaceful election.
Certified results from the
Independent National Electoral
Commission released from Sat-
urday's election showed Jona-
than had 19.4 million votes out

of a total of 31.1 million already
counted. His nearest opponent,
former military ruler Muham-
madu Buhari, held 8.7 million
votes.
Results from eight of Nigeria's
36 states have yet to be formally
announced in Abuja, the coun-
try's capital. While those states
have enough votes to seize the
lead from Jonathan, it appears
unlikely Buhari will be able to
salvage a victory.
Jonathan also had won
enough votes in those states
counted by yesterday night to
avoid triggering a runoff.
Attahiru Jega, chairman
of the national electoral body,
said his agency would begin
announcing results again at
9 a.m. today. Every television
network and most radio sta-
tions in Africa's most populous
nation aired the vote results live
to a country that has remained
in suspense since the mostly
peaceful vote held Saturday in a
land used to violence and thug-

gery at the polls.
Jonathan, who became presi-
dent after his predecessor died
in office last year, has long been
considered the front-runner as
his ruling People's Democratic
Party has dominated politics in
the West African giant since it
became a democracy 12 years
ago. However, the country's
Muslim north remains hesitant
about Jonathan as the Christian
from the south who took over
after the death of the country's
elected Muslim leader.
Many of the north's elite
wanted the ruling party to
honor an unwritten power-
sharing agreement calling for a
Muslim candidate to run in this
election, yet Jonathan prevailed
in the party's primary.
Buhari, the presidential
candidate of the Congress for
Progressive Change, won the
support of many in the north as
a Muslim leader willing to crack
down on the corruption preva-
lent in the nation.


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