The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Tuesday,; October 25, 2011- 3
NEWS BRIEFS
DETROIT
Two Oakland
University students
killed in car crash
Authorities sayaweekend crash
in Detroit has killed two Oakland
University students and critically
injured a third.
The Rochester-based school's
president said in a letter posted
online that Jenna Balabuch and
Rachel Ring died following Sat-
urday's crash on Interstate 75 as
they were heading to a downtown
Detroit bookstore. The school
says Shannon Waite was critically
injured and hospitalized.
Police say the vehicle they were
riding in was involved in a multi-
vehicle crash.
Balabuch and Ring were mem-
bers of the Sigma Tau Delta
English honors society. School
President Gary D. Russi says
"the sudden death of two young,
vibrant students is a particularly
devastating blow."
HARRISBURG, Pa.
Gov. takes over
capital, declares
PAUL SCHEMM/AP
An unidentified Tunisian woman shows ink on her finger after voting in the al-Aouina suburb north of Tunis. Tunisians
voted on Sunday in their first truly free elections.
Tunisia's Islamist party
de v
Federal judge halts
Florida welfare
drug testing-law
Drug tests may ing his campaign the measure
would save $77 million. It's
be in violation of unclear how he arrived at those
figures. A spokesman for the
Constitution Florida Department of Children
and Families deferred all com-
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - A fed- ments to the governor's office.
eral judge temporarily blocked "Drug testing welfare recipi-
Florida's new law that requires ents is just a common-sense
welfare applicants to pass a drug way to ensure that welfare dol-
test before receiving benefits lars are used to help children
yesterday, saying it may violate and get parents back to work,"
the Constitution's ban on unrea- said Jackie Schutz, a spokes-
sonable searches and seizures. woman for Scott. "The governor
Judge Mary Scriven ruled in obviously disagrees with the
response to a lawsuit filed on decision and he will evaluate
behalf of a 35-year-old Navy vet- his options regarding when to
eran and single father who sought appeal."
the benefits while finishing his Earlier this year, Scott also
college degree, but refused to ordered drug testing of new
take the test. The judge said there state workers and spot checks of
was a good chance plaintiff Luis existing state employees under
Lebron would succeed in his him. But testing was suspended
challenge to the law based on after the American Civil Liber-
the Fourth Amendment, which ties Union also challenged that
protects individuals from being policy in a separate lawsuit.
unfairly searched. Nearly 1,600 applicants have
The drug test can reveal a host refused to take the test since
of private medical facts about the testing began in mid-July, but
individual, Scriven wrote, adding they aren't required to say why.
that she found it "troubling" that Thirty-two applicants failed
the drug tests are not kept confi- the test and. more than- 7,000
dential like medical records. The have passed, according to the
results can also be shared with Department of Children and
law enforcement officers and a Families. The majority of posi-
drug abuse hotline. tives were for marijuana.
"This potential interception- State officials said yester-
of positive drug tests by law day that applicants previously
enforcement implicates a 'far denied benefits for testing posi-
more substantial' invasion of pri- tive or refusing the test could
vacy than in ordinary civil drug reapply immediately. The
testing cases," Scriven said. Department of Children and
The judge also said Florida Families will also approve all
didn't show that the drug test- pending applications that await
ing program meets criteria drug test results.
for exceptions to the Fourth Supporters had argued appli-
Amendment. cants skipped the test because
The injunction will stay in they knew they would have test-
place until the judge can hold a ed positive for drugs. Applicants
full hearing on the matter. She must pay $25 to $35 for the test
didn't say when that hearing and are reimbursed by the state
will be scheduled. if they pass. It's unclear if the
More than two-dozen states state has saved money.
have also proposed drug-testing Under the Temporary Assis-
recipients of welfare or other tance For Needy Families pro-
government assistance, but gram, the state gives $180 a
Florida was the first state to month for one person or $364
enact such a law in more than for a family of four.
a decade. Should any of those Those who test positive for
states pass a law and face a court drugs are ineligible for the cash
challenge, Scriven's ultimate assistance for one year, though
ruling would likely serve as a passing a drug course can cut
legal precedent. that period in half. If they fail a
The law's proponents include second time, they are ineligible
Gov. Rick Scott, who said dur- for three years.
fiscal emergency Officials estimate
fiS~a emeren~y
Gov. Tom Corbett launched
a state takeover of the heavily
indebted capital city yesterday by
declaring a fiscal emergency in
Harrisburg - a move viewed as
the state's most aggressive inter-
vention into the affairs of a Penn-
sylvania city.
Corbett, a Republican, made
the declaration four days after
signing a law that grants him the
ability to take unprecedented con-
trol over much of Harrisburg's
finances, including the ability to
use the city's money to ensure that
government continues to oper-
ate services, issue paychecks to
employees and make pension and
debt payments.
"City Council's failure to enact a
recovery plan in order to deal with
the city's distressed finances has .
led me to declare a fiscal emergen-
cy," Corbett said in a statement.
WASHINGTON D.C.
U.S. pulls envoy
out of Syria, citing
safety concern
The Obama administration has
pulled its ambassador home from
Syria, arguing that his support
for anti-Assad activists put him in
grave danger - the most dramatic
action so far by the United States
as it struggles to counter a Mid-
east autocrat who is withstanding
pressure that has toppled neigh-
boringdictators.
Syria responded quickly yester-
day, orderinghome its envoy from
Washington.
American Ambassador Robert
Ford was temporarily recalled on
Saturday after the U.S. received
"credible threats against his per-
sonal safety in Syria," the State
Department said, pointing directly
at President Bashar Assad's gov-
ernment. Ford, who already had
been the subject of several inci-
dents of intimidation, has enraged
Syrian authorities with his force-
ful defense of anti-Assad demon-
strations and his harsh critique
of a government crackdown that
has now claimed more than 3,000
lives.
NAIROBI, Kenya
Two grenade blasts
suspected to be al-
Qaida retaliation
Grenade blasts at a blue-col-
lar bar and a crowded bus stop
rattled Nairobi yesterday, as the
country worried whether al-Qai-
da-linked militants from Somalia
were carrying out their prom-
ise to launch reprisal attacks in
Kenya's capital.
The attacks came only two
days after the U.S. warned of
"imminent" terror attacks. The
U.S. warning had implied that the
Somali group al-Shabab would
carry out reprisals in response to
Kenyan troops' invasion of Soma-
lia in mid-October.
-Compiled from
Daily wire reports
Ennahda party
won at least
30 percent of votes
TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) - A
moderate Islamist party claimed
victory yesterday in Tunisia's
landmark elections as prelimi-
nary results indicated it had won
the biggest share of votes, assur-
ing it will have a strong say in the
future constitution of the coun-
try whose popular revolution led
to the Arab Spring.
The Ennahda party's success
could boost other Islamist par-
ties in the North Africa and the
Middle East, although Ennahda
insists its approach to sharia, or
Islamic law, is consistent with
Tunisia's progressive traditions,
especially in regards to women's
rights.
Party officials estimated
Ennahda had taken at least 30
percent of the 217-seat assem-
bly charged with writing a new
constitution for the country.
Other estimates put the party's
share from Sunday's vote closer
to 50 percent. Official results are
expected today.
International observers laud-
ed the election as free and fair
while emphasizing that the par-
ties in the new government must
work together and safeguard the
rights of women.
There were no official
announcements of domestic
results yesterday, but Tunisian
media outlets posted tallies
from individual polling stations,
making it clear that Ennahda or
Renaissance Party was now the
dominant political force in the
country, coming in first in nearly
every constituency.
Ennahda did take half of the
18 seats reserved for Tunisians
living abroad in official prelimi-
nary results released yesterday.
Two center-left parties took
seven other seats between them
- a distributon of seats expected
to replicated domestically.
"Ennahda has taken first place
on the national level and at the
level of the constituencies," said
Abdel Hamid Jelassi, the party's
campaign manager at a trium-
phant press conference outside
its headquarters amid cheering
supporters.
In the half century since its
1956 independence from France,
Tunisia has been practically a
one-party state until Tunisians
kicked out President Zine El
Abidine Ben Ali in January after
a monthlong popular uprising.
Nine months of unrest, further
demonstrations and political
wrangling in the country of 10
million preceded Sunday's vote,
which saw a huge turnout.
The constituent assembly
elected will have an incredibly
important role in building Tuni-
sia's new democracy. It will not
only appoint a new interim gov-
ernment but write the constitu-
tion that will determine how the
country will function.
Tunisia's elections coincided
with declarations in neighbor-
ing Libya by its new leaders that
the country has been liberated
from the yoke of longtime dicta-
tor Moammar Gadhafi. Libya's
new leaders also announced
plans with a sharply Islamist
tone that could rattle their West-
ern backers.
Ennahda says it wants Islamic
law, to be the source of the coun-
try's legislation, but also insists
that the country's progressive
personal status code is compat-
ible with its ideals and that it
respects all religions and creeds.
Jailed U.S.-Israeli citizen to be
released in prisoner exchange
Isr
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Israeli]
Netany
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The
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Egyptia
Ilan
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held
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would b
Grap
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of Egyj
Preside
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"Int
and Eg
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Egypt
Ilan Gr
release
ael will free 25 the statement said. s t
The statement said there
yptian captives are no "security prisoners" on
the list, Israeli shorthand for
n Thursday's militants. It is assumed that the
Egyptians to be freed are mostly
exchange smugglers working the porous
border between the two coun-
USALEM (AP) - A dual tries, sneaking into Israel with
aeli citizen imprisoned contraband and people seeking
pt on spy suspicions since asylum or work.
will be released soon, Among the 25 Egyptian pris-
Prime Minister Benjamin oners to be exchanged will be
ahu's office said ina state- three teenagers from the Sinai
sterday. Peninsula, according to Egyptian
statement from Prime security officials, speaking on
rr Benjamin Netanyahu's condition of anonymity because
aid Israel will release 25 no statement was made.
in prisoners in exchange. Egypt and Israel signed a
Grapel was arrested in peace treaty in 1979, but relations
n June 12 and has been have never been warm. Since
without charge since. Mubarak's fall, the relationship
state TV confirmed that a has been shaken by widespread
s made and said the swap popular hatred of Israel in Egypt.
e carried out on Thursday. The Schalit deal and the upcom-
el, 27, was suspected ing swap for Grapel could show
yptian officials of spy- that the two sides are trying to
Israel during the height mend fences.
pt's uprising that ousted Last week Egypt was instru-
nt Hosni Mubarak earlier mental in mediating a deal that
r. Israel and his relatives won freedom Schalit, who was
U.S. denied Grapel was a held for more than five years
ing he worked for a Cairo Hamas. Under that deal, Israel
d project. freed 455 Palestinian prisoners
Israeli government will and is set to free hundreds more
e a special Security Cabi- in two months. Some were con-
eting today to approve the victed in deadly attacks against
e statement said. The list Israelis, including involvement
iners included in the deal with suicide bombings.
published so that Israe- Israeli officials said Grapel's
ild be able to appeal. The release is not connected to the
an take place 48 hours Schalit deal. They were speak-
he prisoners' names are ing on condition of anonymity
ublic. because of the sensitivity of the
the framework of Israel issue.
;yptian efforts and with Farid el-Atrash from Egypt's
lp of the United States, Sinai said he did not know if his
has agreed to release brothers are included in the deal.
apel. Israel has agreed to "They should have swapped
25 Egyptian prisoners," all Egyptian prisoners, not just
25 for a spy," he said, speaking to
The Associated Press. RI-Atrash's
brother Moussa was accused of
spying on Israel for Rgypt. His
other two brothers, Ismail and
Abdullah, are facing up to five
years in prison for sneaking into
Israel and workingthere illegally.
Grapel moved to Israel, where
his grandparents live, as a young
man and did his compulsory mili-
tary service during the 2006 war
between the Israeli military and
Hezbollah, where he was wound-
ed. Israeli news websites have
published what they identified as
wartime pictures of Grapel lying
in his hospital bed.
Grapel later returned to the
U.S. for law schooL.
His father, Daniel Grapel,
spoke briefly to Israel's Channel
10 TV from his home in New York
yesterday evening. "I haven't
been officially notified, but I do
know that things are happening
between the U.S, Rgyptian and S 9
Israeli governments,"he said.
Grapel's connections to Israel,
including his past military ser-
vice, are easy to find on the Inter-
net, adding to doubts that he was
a spy. AN AB.
He appears to have traveled 2E.ANT.741.90
to Rgypt under his real name 60PCAD747190
and made no secret of his Israeli 1207 S. UNIVERSITY 734.827.2600
links, including his past military342. STATE ST734.222.7000
servce-3365 WASHTENAW AVE.~-734.477.0000
Grapel graduated from Johns2615 PLYMOUTH RD.734.930.2000
Hopkins University in Baltimore,
Maryland, in 2005 with a bache-YPSILANTI
lor's degreeininternationalstud-W.CROSSST.734.484.2700
ies and was planning to return to
Rmory for his third and final year
of law studies.
Since Mubarak's ouster, AM IAS F V I1
Rgypt's military rulers have
often warned against what they
call "foreign" attempts to desta-
bilize the country. i WIO 1589 tMiSTlWI5
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