The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Thursday, October 4, 2012 - 5A The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Thursday, October 4, 2012 - 5A Turkey strikes back after Syria shells border town AP Iranians stand in a street as a garbage can is set on fire, in central Tehran, near Tehran's old main bazaar, on Wednesday. ran tightens grip to stop currenCys dive Five civilians killed in Turkey, escalating tensions BEIRUT (AP) - Turkish artillery fired on Syrian tar- gets Wednesday after shelling from Syria struck a border vil- lage in Turkey, killing five civil- ians, sharply escalating tensions between the two neighbors and prompting NATO to convene an emergency meeting. "Our armed forces at the bor- der region responded to this atrocious attack with artillery fire on points in Syria that were detected with radar, in line with the rules of engagement," the Turkish government said in a statement from the prime minis- ter's office. The artillery fire capped a day that began with four bombs tear- ing through a government-held district in Syria's commercial and cultural capital of Aleppo, killing more than 30 people and reducing buildings to rubble. Along the volatile border, a shell fired from inside Syria landed on a home in the Turk- ish village of Akcakale, killing a woman, her three daughters and another woman, and wounding at least 10 others, according to Turkish media. The shelling appeared to come from forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime, which is fighting rebels backed by Turkey in an escalating civil war. "Turkey, acting within the rules of engagement and interna- tionallaws,willneverleaveunre- ciprocated such provocations by the Syrian regime against our national security," the office of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a statement. Turkish media said Turkey has prepared a parliamentary bill for Syria that is similar to one that authorizes the Turkish military to intervene in northern Iraq in pursuit of Kurdish mili- tants who have bases there. The bill is expected to be discussed in parliament on Thursday, Anado- lu agency reported. If approved, the bill could more easily open the way to uni- lateral action by Turkey's armed forces inside Syria, without the involvement of its Western and Arab allies. Secretary of State Hillary Rod- ham Clinton said the U.S. was "outraged that the Syrians have been shooting across the border," addingthat she would speak with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on the matter. "It's a very, very dangerous situation," Clinton said. "And all responsible nations need to band together to persuade the Assad regime to have a cease-fire, quit assaulting their own people and begin the process of a political transition." NATO's National Atlantic Council, which is composed of the alliance's ambassadors, held an emergency meeting in Brus- selsWednesdaynight at Turkey's request to discuss the cross-bor- der incident. The meeting ended with a statement strongly condemning the attack and saying: "The alli- ance continues to stand by Tur- key and demands the immediate cessation of such aggressive acts against an ally." It also urged the Syrian regime to "put an end to flagrant violations of interna- tional law." NATO also held an emergency meeting when a Turkish jet was shot down by Syria in June, kill- ing two pilots. Turkey wants to avoid going into Syria on its own. It has been pushing for international inter- vention in the form of a safe zone, which would likely entail foreign security forces on the ground and a partial no-fly zone. However, the allies fear military intervention in Syria could ignite a wider conflict, and few observ- ers expect robust action from the United States, which Turkey views as vital to any operation in Syria, ahead of the presidential election in November. According to Turkey's NTV station, the Syrian information ministry said it had launched an investigation into Wednesday's shelling and expressed sorrow for the deaths of Turkish civil- ians. But it urged Turkey to pre- vent the cross-border infiltration of what it called terrorists. Rial has lot more than a third of its value in one week TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Ira- nian authorities used aggres- sive measures Wednesday in an attempt to halt the nosedive of the country's currency, mak- ing arrests, vowing to stamp out sidewalk money changers and warning merchants against fuel- ing the mounting public anger over the economy. There were unconfirmed reports of sporadic violence. Associated Press photos showed riot police blocking a street with the charred hulks of a garbage can and a motorcycle that had been set on fire. Smoke was ris- ing from the area in central Teh- ran near the main bazaar. The sweeping responses to the freefall of the rial - which has lost more than a third of its value in a week - underscored the worries for Iranian leaders after months of dismissing the West's economic squeeze seek- ing to rein in Tehran's nuclear program. A declining currency causes shifts in an economy such as making imported goods more expensive. Although the currency cri- sis is blamed on a combination of factors - including internal government policies - the rush to dump rials appears to reflect an underlying perception that international sanctions have deepened problems such as run- away inflation and soaring pric- es for imports and that the only safe hedge is to grab dollars or euros. If the economic turmoil intensifies, it could boost pres- sure on the ruling system before elections next June to pick Presi- dent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's successor. That has the potential to hinder nuclear talks with the West until after the elections. One of Ahmadinejad's main critics, parliament speaker Ali Larijani, has led the calls to blame the currency crisis mostly on allegedly misguided govern- ment monetary policies. In reply, Ahmadinejad warned that he could consider resigning if his government is put under too much pressure. "Now is not the time for any- body to settle accounts," Ahma- dinejad said Tuesday as the rial hit a record low. "If my presence is a burden on you, (the solution is for me to) write one line to say goodbye." Tuesday's rate of 35,500 rials againstthe U.S. dollar compared with 24,000 a week ago on the unofficial street trading rate, which is widely followed in Iran. It was close to 10,000 rials for $1 as recently as early 2011. Exchange houses were closed Wednesday, and currency web- sites were blocked from provid- ingupdates onthe latest rates. Public grumbling has grown steadily louder over a punishing combination of a falling curren- cy and rising prices, which have put some staples such as chicken and lamb out of reach of many low-income Iranians. Earlier this week, a petition signed by about 10,000 workers was sent to the labor minister to com- plain that even paying rents has become a struggle. The owner of a furniture showroom said he hasn't made a sale in 10 days while his work- shop rent has been increased by 30 percent. He said one of his workers bought a can of tuna for lunch Saturday for 35,000 rials, or about 98 cents at the current exchange rate. The next day it was 45,000 rials, or $1.26, said Hamid, who gave only his first name because of warnings by Iranian officials not to discuss the economic situation with the media. "Even Afghan workers are going home since it doesn't make sense to work in Iran with a currency that's worth less and less," he said. Godbee is second straight Detroit police chief to face sex scandal Hours after a U.S. Border Patrol agent was shot and killed, and sneether was ekes and injured, Marcel Padilla, left, U.S. Border Patrol Acting Chief Patrol Agent Tucson Sector, and Jeffrey Self, U.S. Border Protection Joint Field Command Ari- zona, lease after a news conference. Authorities face tough territory in border probe after agent shooting Investigation ordered to decide fate of chief DETROIT (AP) - Detroit Mayor Dave Bing was elected to replace a scandal-plagued predecessor after promis- ing to clamp down on crime. But following allegations of a sex scandal involving another police chief, he's having trouble stabilizing the department, let alone the streets. Bing suspended Police Chief Ralph Godbee, 44, after a sub- ordinate, a 37-year-old internal affairs officer, claimed the two had engaged in a sexual rela- tionship for about a year. The mayor hired Godbee two years ago after firing his predecessor, in part because of similar charges involving a sub- ordinate. Bing knew at the time that Godbee previously had a romantic relationship with the same woman, a police lieuten- ant. Should Bing's investigation conclude that Godbee too must go, the city would be forced to seek its fifth police chief in four years. In Bing's three-plus years in office, he already has fired two chiefs. "He's had more people resign, fired, quit than any other mayor that I know of," Councilman Kwame Kenyatta said Wednesday. "It either says he chooses the wrong people or doesn't know how to choose the right people." Like many police depart- ments, Detroit's force is under severe financial constraints. The city has about 2,700 offi- cers, down from 4,000 a decade ago. The department reports most violent crimes numbers are down this year, but the city also is on track to eclipse last year's 344 murders. Robberies at gas stations and convenience stores, including the assault and carjacking of a prominent church pastor earlier this year, are becoming more violent and brazen. "The officers are working 24/7 and aren't being treated well," said Oakland County Commissioner William Dwyer, a former Detroit police official. "They've taken dramatic cuts in salaries and benefits. They are in the most dangerous city right now in the U.S. If you expect them to perform, you ought to treat them like profes- sionals and not second-class citizens." Even before the alleged scandal came to light, Bing and Godbee have been at odds with officers over a 10 percent pay cut, requirements that they pay more for health care and new rules requiring 12-hour work days. Earlier this year, the chief reduced staffing inside police precincts to get more officers on the city's crime-plagued streets. "The more immediate issue facing people in Detroit are the screaming headlines about the number of people shot or injured, and the fact that the number seems to be on the increase as opposed to the decrease," said Sheila Cock- rel, a political analyst and for- mer Detroit councilwoman. "Detroiters are going to want a police chief focusing on those issues and not what's happen- ing in his personal life." Angelica Robinson, the internal affairs officer who says she had a relationship with Godbee, posted on Twit- ter a photo of herself with her service weapon in her mouth, her attorney David Robinson said. She had learned Godbee was at a weekend police con- ference with another woman, said the attorney, who is not related to Angelica Robinson. He said Godbee had other officers locate her and put her under surveillance. She has since been reassigned from internal affairs to other duties and does not have use of her service weapon, David Robin- son said. On Tuesday, Bing said in a statement that he suspended Godbee for 30 days from his $140,400-a-year post "pending a full and thorough investiga- tion of this matter." Assistant Chief Chester Logan has assumed Godbee's responsibilities during the sus- pension. Godbee, returning to Detroit after attending a police confer- ence out of state, told reporters Wednesday evening at Detroit Metropolitan Airport that he could not comment on Angel- ica Robinson's claims or his suspension. Bing has spent much of his first term as mayor cleaning up the fiscal mess and $300 million budget deficit left by ex-mayor and convicted felon Kwame Kilpatrick. He's also changed the perception of a City Hall warped by public corruption. However, his handling of the police department has been spotty, Kenyatta said, pointing to the firing of ex-chief War- ren Evans that led to Godbee getting the job. Rural Arizona desert heavily used by drug smugglers PHOENIX (AP) - Investiga- tors searching a stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border for clues into the fatal shooting of a Border Patrol agent face a treacherous territory that is heavily used by drug smugglers, offers many hid- ing places and is close enough to Mexico for traffickers to make a quick getaway. Whoever killed Agent Nicholas Ivie and wounded another agent in the sparsely populated desert in southeastern Arizona early Tuesday may have done just that. Those who carried out the shooting near Bisbee, Ariz., prob- ably had time to cross the border in the early-morning darkness before authorities could seal off an escape route, said George McCubbin, president of the National Border Patrol Council, a union representing about 17,000 border patrol agents. "I seriously doubt anybody would be laid up and hiding," he said. Ivie and two other agents were fired upon in a rugged hilly area about five miles north of the bor- der as they responded to an alarm that was triggered on one of the sensors that the government has installed along the border. The wounded agent was shot in the ankle and buttocks and released from the hospital after under- going surgery. The third agent wasn't injured. Ivie was a 30-year-old father of two who grew up in Utah and was active in the Mormon church. He was an agent for four years. Authorities have declined to provide other details, including what they believe prompted the shooting and whether the agents were ambushed. Still, they sus- pect that more than one person fired on the agents. No arrests have been made. The last Border Patrol agent fatally shot on duty was Brian Terry, who died in a shootout with bandits near the border in December 2010. Terry's shoot- ing was later linked to the gov- ernment's "Fast and Furious gun-smuggling operation, which allowed people suspected of ille- gally buying guns for others to walk away from gun shops with weapons, rather than be arrested. Authorities intended to track the guns into Mexico. Two rifles found at the scene of Terry's shooting were bought by a mem- ber of the gun-smuggling ring being investigated.