1 1 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Thursday, January 26, 2012- 3A

* The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Thursday, January 26, 2012- 3A

NEWS BRIEFS
DETROIT
After three weeks,
21-year-old freed
by Syrian gov't
A 21-year-old who disappeared
for three weeks after returning to
Syria from suburban Detroit was
released by Syrian authorities
yesterday, his family said.
Obada Mzaik, who has citizen-
ship in the U.S. and Syria, had
flown to Damascus from Detroit
Metropolitan Airport on Jan. 3
but wasn't seen leaving an immi-
gration checkpoint.
An uncle in Michigan said
the Syrian government released
Mzaik to his father there yester-
day.
"We're grateful that he's back
with his family, and we're grate-
ful to the community for showing
support to the family during dif-
ficult days," Dr. Firas Nashef, a
dentist from the Detroit suburb of
Farmington Hills, said in a state-
ment.
EAST LANSING
MSU using $5.8M
Gates grant to
study child deaths
Michigan State University says
it's using a $5.8 million grant from
the Bill & Melinda Gates Founda-
tion to find the causes and seek
to prevent the death of children
from bacterial diseases in sub-
Saharan Africa.
The university says the project
aims to prevent what is the lead-
ing cause of death for children in
the region. The bacterial diseases
include pneumonia, sepsis and
meningitis and they kill more
people in the area than malaria.
The Nigeria-based project
involves collecting local data on
the diseases and promoting the
use and development of vaccines.
Lead researcher professor
Stephen Obaro says Nigeria, and
many of its neighbors trail the
developed world in dealing with
bacterialdiseases because of poor
diagnostic work and lack of access
to vaccines.
ATLANTA
Judges weigh case
of police officer not
hired due to HIV
A panel of federal judges
appeared skeptical yesterday of
the Atlanta police department's
decision to reject a job application
from an HIV-infected man.
The 40-year-old man sued
the city in 2010, claiming he was
denied a police officer job solely
because he has the virus. Atlanta
attorneys argued there are other
officers on the force with HIV
and the police department that
it has no blanket policy disquali-
fying candidates with the virus.
Gay rights groups and police
agencies are closely following
the case.
One of the three judges sig-

naled the lawsuit would likely
be sent back to a lower judge to
reconsider.
"I don't see how we can avoid
a remand in this case," Circuit
Judge R. Lanier Anderson said.
The judges will issue a ruling
later.
OHI, Japan
IAEA examines
Japanes reactors
A team of International
Atomic Energy Agency experts
is making its first inspection of
a Japanese nuclear power plant
that has undergone official
"stress tests" required after the
Fukushima disaster.
Today, the 10-member IAEA
team was inspecting two reac-
tors at the Ohi nuclear power
plant in Fukui prefecture in
western Japan.
Passing the test is one of sev-
eral steps needed to restart doz-
ens of idled nuclear plants.
Only four of Japan's 54 reac-
tors are currently operating,
so getting some back on line
would help Japan avoid a power
crunch.
-Compiled from
Daily wire reports

Anniversary marked by
clashes in Tahrir square

-~
PETESOUZA/AP
President Barack Obama, accompanied by first lady Michelle Obama, during a phone call from the Capitol in Wash-
ington, Tuesday, After his State of the Union Address, informing John Buchanan that his daughter Jessica was rescued.
Two hostages rescued from
Somalia after Navy SEAL raid

Secular activists,
Islamists battle for
influence in Egypt
CAIRO (AP) - Hundreds
of thousands thronged major
squares across Egypt yesterday,
marking the first anniversary of
the uprising that toppled Hosni
Mubarak with rallies that laid
bare the divisions that have
replaced the unity of last year's
revolt.
Cairo's Tahrir Square, the
epicenter of the 18 days of pro-
tests against Mubarak, was
transformed into the focal point
of the rivalry between revolu-
tionary activists intent on show-
ing they can still mobilize the
street, and the Muslim Brother-
hood, who emerged as Egypt's
dominant political force after a
landslide victory in parliamen-
tary elections.
The secular activists want
continued protests to force the
immediateouster of the generals
who took power after Mubarak's
fall, saying they are just as dic-
tatorial as the former president.
The activists touted their pow-
erful turnout as a sign they can
pressure the Brotherhood, who
they fear will accommodate the
military in order to ensure their
own political dominance.
"I have hope that these
marches will bea message to the

Brotherhood as much as the mil-
itary council," said Sahar Abdel-
Mohsen, who walked 3 miles
(5 kilometers) in a giant march
across Cairo to Tahrir.
"We all know even if the
Brotherhood are strong, the
military council isstill stronger.
... What we all want is an end to
military rule," she said.
Both sides were intent on
bringing out as many supporters
as possible to show their weight
in a nation still reeling from the
aftershocks of Mubarak's ouster.
The Islamists got off to a
strong start, taking up positions
in the morning and claiming the
right to police the square, with
Brotherhood volunteers check-
ing the bags of those entering.
From a large stage with
10 loudspeakers, they blared
religious songs and chants of
"Allahu akbar," setting a tone of
celebration for what they called
the successes of the revolution,
particularly the newly elected
parliament.
But a dozen large marches
organized by secular groups
converged on Tahrir from vari-
ous parts of the city, chanting
"Down, down with military
rule!" and filling boulevards
as passers-by joined in along
the way. The "non-Islamists"
swarmed into the downtown
plaza before sunset, jam-
packing it to outnumber the
Islamists.

American, Dane
on way home after
months of captivity
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP)
- Held captive since last fall, an
ailing American woman and a
Danish man are safely on their
way home after a bold, dark-of-
night rescue by U.S. Navy SEALs.
The commandos slipped into a
Somali encampment, shot and
killed nine captors and whisked
the hostages to freedom.
The raid's success was wel-
come news for the hostages
and their families, for the mili-
tary and for President Barack
Obama, who was delivering his
State of the Union speech as the
mission was wrapping up Tues-
day night. He did not mention
it in his address but dropped a
hint upon arriving in the House
chamber by telling Defense Sec-
retary Leon Panetta, "Good job
tonight."
It was the second splashy
SEAL Team 6 success in less than

a year, following lastMay's killing tary's kit since the Sept. 11, 2001,
of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. attacks. The Obama administra-
The SEALs apparently tion is expected to announce on
encountered some degree of Thursday that it will invest even
resistance from the kidnappers more heavily in that capability in
at the encampment. One U.S. comingyears.
official said yesterday that there After planning and rehearsal,
was a firefight but the length and the Somalia rescue was carried
extent of the battle were unclear. out by SEAL Team 6, officially
Pentagon spokesmen said they known as the Naval Special War-
could not confirm a gun battle, fare Development Group, accord-
although one defense official said ing to two U.S. officials who spoke
it was likely that the SEALs killed on condition of anonymity to dis-
the kidnappers rather than cap- cuss a secret mission. The same
ture them because they encoun- outfit did the bin Laden mission,
tered armed resistance or the the biggest counter-terror suc-
threat of resistance. cess of Obama's presidency. It
The Pentagon was mostly was not clear whether any team
tight-lipped about details yester- members participated in both
day, citing a need to preserve the operations.
secrecy that can give SEALs and One official said the SEALs
other special operations forces an parachuted from U.S. Air Force
edge against the terrorists, crimi- aircraft before moving on foot,
nals and others they are ordered apparently undetected, to the
to kill or capture around the outdoor encampment where they
world under hazardous and often found American Jessica Buchan-
hostile conditions. an, 32, and Poul Hagen Thisted,
Special operations forces, a 60-year-old Dane, who had
trained for clandestine, small- been kidnapped in Somalia last
team missions, have become a fall. The raid happened near the
more prominent tool in the mili- town of Adado.

Obama kicks off five state tour in Iowa

After Penn State, states
review sex abuse laws
At least 12 states In addition to measures to
improve the reporting of sus-
considering pected child sex abuse, bills
have been drafted across the
mandatory reporting country that would increase
or even eliminate the statutes
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - of limitations for bringing
The child sexual abuse scan- criminal or civil cases against
dal at Penn State University alleged abusers.
has prompted state lawmakers "The alleged incidents at
across the nation to take anoth- Penn State I think awakened
er look at laws designed to pro- something in our national con-
tedt children and punish child sciousness about protecting
predators. our kids," said Mike Feuer, a
Thirty-eight legislatures California assemblyman and
are back in session this month, chairman of that legislature's
most for the first time since Judiciary Committee.
retired assistant Penn State Feuer, a Los Angeles Demo-
football coach Jerry Sandusky crat, is sponsoring a bill that
was charged in November with would have employees at uni-
child sex abuse and two school versities added to the list of
officials were charged with mandated reporters in his state,
failing to properly report abuse which already includes teach-
allegations. At least 12 states ers, doctors and others.
are considering mandatory "If we were to fail to pass 'a
reporting legislation this year, bill like the one I have intro-
according to the National Con- duced in California only to
ference of State Legislatures, have subsequent abuse occur,
and more are expected to craft we will look back on this
bills as their sessions get into moment as a wasted opportu-
full swing. nity to protect a child who will

At least 12 states
considering
mandatory reporting
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP)
- President Barack Obama,
promoting his opportunity-for-
all economic agenda in the state
that helped him get elected,
said yesterday that "America is
not about handouts" but people
do expect their shot at success.
Following up on his State of the
Union address, he defended the
government's role in ensuring
fairness and rejected criticisms
about class warfare.
"There's no reason why we
can't restore the basic American
promise that if you work hard,
you can do well," Obama said
from a manufacturing plant.
He said most people don't have
unrealistic ambitions about
their economic future but they
do want to own a home, save
for retirement and "achieve
that small measure of an
American dream."
Obama spoke at the start
of a three-day tour of politi-
cally crucial states to sell
his 2012 economic policy
goals and pitch his presi-
dency to a divided public.
Fresh from his address to
a joint session of Congress,
Obama sought to boost his
ideas for more manufac-
turing on American soil by
showcasing a conveyor belt
component manufacturer in
Iowa and an Intel plant in
Arizona.
Running for re-election
against Republicans who've
questioned his economic
stewardship, the president
said he wants to restore the
basic promise of America,
"and it starts with manufac-
turing." Inside the factory,
speaking to roughly 300
workers and guests, Obama
was flanked by machinery
and a banner with his lat-
est slogan: "America Built
to Last."
Presidential travel fol-
lowing the State of the
Union is commonplace,
allowing presidents to tem-

porarily bask in the afterglow of
their prime-time performances,
milking their message before
key constituencies.
Obama will highlight energy
security today in Nevada and
Colorado and wrap up tomor-
row by pushing education and
training proposals at the Uni-
versity of Michigan in Ann
Arbor, Mich.
Republicans have blasted
Obama for offering divisive pol-
itics and pushing a greater role
for government intervention in
people's lives. "Iowans are still
waiting for Obama to deliver on
the promises of his campaign
and his first term," said Repub-
lican National Committee
chairman Reince Priebus.
Obama shot back that Repub-
licans would prefer a world in
which people are left on their
own, saying he wants to lead a
nation in which hard work has
rewards.
"America is not about hand-

outs," he said. "America is about
earning everything you've got."
Obama toured Conveyor
Engineering & Manufacturing,
a small family-owned Cedar
Rapids company that builds
giant conveyor belt screws,
working primarily with the eth-
anol and food industries
The president is pushing
a litany of tax proposals that
he said would boost manufac-
turing jobs, from removing
tax deductions for companies
when they move their opera-
tions overseas to creating a new
tax credit to offset expenses
for moving operations back
to the U.S. Other proposals
included doubling tax deduc-
tions for advanced manufac-
turing, extending tax credits
for clean energy projects and
creating new tax credits to
encourage companies to relo-
cate in communities that suf-
fered a major job loss, like the
closing of a plant.

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