The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Thursday, October 25, 2012 - 3A
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Thursday, October 25, 2012 - 3A
NEWS BRIEFS
DETROIT
Detroit judge
reprimanded for
shirtless cell photo
A Detroit judge who sent a
shirtless photo of himself to
a female court employee and
bragged about his buff image
on television "brought shame"
to the judiciary, the Michigan
Supreme Court said Wednesday.
The court reprimanded
Wayne County Circuit Judge
Wade McCree, who accepted the
public censure without a fight
months after apologizing.
McCree sent a cellphone photo
of himself to a female sheriff's
4w officer in 2011. It shows a very fit
judge from the waist up and was
taken a year earlier after he had
finished a half marathon.
The officer kept it to motivate
herself to improve her workouts,
but her husband provided a copy
to WJBK-TV reporter Charlie
LeDuff, according to the Michi-
gan Judicial, Tenure Commis-
sion, which investigated.
SEATTLE
Seattle developer,
wife arrested for
bankruptcy fraud
A Seattle real-estate developer
who vanished with his wife after
a judge demanded they hand over
two huge diamonds was arrested
Wednesday in a lake town in the
.French Alps.
Police arrested Michael Mas-
tro, 87, and his wife, Linda, at the
request of American authorities,
said Kayla Celaya, a supervisory
deputy with the U.S. Marshals
Service. The arrests came in the
town of Annecy, near the Swiss
border in southeastern France.
The Mastroswerechargedwith
bankruptcy fraud in a six-count
FBI complaint unsealed Wednes-
day in federal court in Seattle. The
complaint accuses them of con-
cealing one of their bank accounts
from creditors and using $285,000
from the account for personal
expenses - including payments
on their Bentley and Rolls Royce
automobiles, credit card bills, and
the purchase of $100,000 in gold.
KINGSTON, Jamaica
Hurricane Sandy
pounds Jamaica
en route to Cuba
Hurricane Sandy's howling
winds and pelting rains lashed
precarious shantytowns, stranded
travelers and downed power lines
Wednesday as it roared across
Jamaica on a course that would
take it on to Cuba and then possi-
bly threaten Florida and the Baha-
mas.
Sandy's death toll was at least
two. An elderly man was killed in
Jamaica when he was crushed by
a boulder that rolled onto his clap-
board house, police reported. Ear-
lier Wednesday, a woman in Haiti
was swept away by a rushing river
she was trying to cross.
MILAN
Former premier
Berlusconi says he
won't run again
Former Italian Premier Silvio
Berlusconi announced Wednes-
day that he won't run for a fourth
term in spring elections and said
his center-right movement should
hold a primary to choose its can-
didate.
"I won't run for premier," Ber-
lusconi said in a statement posted
on his movement's website, "but I
will remain next to younger play-
ers who need to play and score
goals."
Berlusconi, who stepped down
in November after failing to
come up with effective economic
Sreforms to shield Italy from the
debt crisis, has until now been
coy about his intentions. But the
soccer metaphor also indicates
that the 76-year-old media mogul,
and owner of the soccer club AC
Milan, isn't ready to give up poli-
tics entirely.
-Compiled from
Daily wire reports
Security Council
unanimously OKs
Syrian ceasefire
In this June 10, 2005 file photo, workers walk past a part of Qinshan No. 2 Nuclear Power Plant, China's first self-designed and self-built national
commercial nuclear power plant. China is ready to approve new nuclear power plants as part of ambitious plans to reduce reliance on oil and coal.
China approves proposal
for new nuclear reactors
Four-day truce
planned for Muslim
holiday
BEIRUT (AP) - The U.N.
Security Council gave unani-
mous backing Wednesday to a
four-day truce proposed by the
international mediator for Syria
to mark a major Muslim holiday
after he warned that the failure
of yet another cease-fire plan
would only worsenthe fighting.
Yet even this modest effort -
the international community's
only plan for scaling back the
violence - appears doomed.
Previous cease-fire missions
have failed, in part because nei-
ther Syrian President Bashar
Assad nor rebels trying to top-
ple him had an incentive to end
their bloody war of attrition.
Both sides believe they can still
make gains on the battlefield
even as they are locked in a
stalemate, and neither has faith
in negotiations on a political
transition.
Lakhdar Brahimi, the U.N.-
Arab League envoy to Syria,
has proposed that both sides
lay down their arms during the
Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha,
which begins Friday.
The Security Council is nor-
mally divided on Syria, but
Assad allies Russia and China
joined other council members
in endorsing the idea of a tempo-
rary truce that is meant to pave
the way for talks on ending Syr-
ia's 19-month-old conflict.
The response on the ground
ranged from lukewarm to down-
right rejection. Syrian govern-
ment officials said they were still
studying the idea, while Syria's
political opposition said it was
skeptical of the regime's prom-
ises. A rebel commander dis-
missed the plan as irrelevant and
a radical Islamist group fighting
alongside the rebels said it won't
comply with any truce.
As Brahimi briefed the Secu-
rity Council, the death toll since
the start of the conflict in March
2011 crossed the threshold of
35,000, activists said, and more
violence was reported across the
country.
Two car bombs killed at least
eight bus passengers in the cap-
ital Damascus and 12 regime
soldiers near a military check-
point in the north, while regime
airstrikes on villages near a
besieged army base killed 12
civilians, activists said. They
also posted a video showing at
least 13 bodies laid out Wednes-
day in a room in a Damascus
suburb, some of them women
and children. Each side blamed
the other for the deaths.
Decision aimed to
decrease reliance on
fossil fuels despite
nuclear dangers
BEIJING (AP) - China has
decided to approve new nuclear
power plants as part of plans
to reduce reliance on oil and
coal, ending the moratorium
it imposed to review safety in
the wake of Japan's Fukushima
disaster last year.
The government's decision
Wednesday that nuclear power
is safe for China takes the coun-
try in the opposite direction
from some developed nations
such as Germany, which decid-
ed in the wake of the Fuku-
shima disaster to speed its
complete phase-out of nuclear
power. Japan is planning to
phase it out by 2040.
China is the world's biggest
energy consumer, and build-
ing new reactors is a key part of
Beijing's plans to curb demand
for fossil fuels.
The communist govern-
ment is aggressively promoting
alternatives to coal and oil in
order to reduce pollution and
curb its reliance on imported
petroleum, which it sees as a
national security risk. Still,
coal is forecast to remain the
country's main energy source
for decades.
The government said
Wednesday it hopes to gener-
ate 30 percent of China's power
from solar, wind and other
renewable sources, as well as
from nuclear energy, by the end
of 2015. That's up from an ear-
lier target of 15 percent from
renewables plus 5 percent from
nuclear by 2020.
The Cabinet on Wednesday
passed plans on nuclear power
safety and development that
said construction of nuclear
power plants would resume
"steadily."
Only a small number of
plants will be built, and only
in coastal areas, according to
a Cabinet announcement. The
plants will meet the most strin-
gent safety standards, it said.
No date was given for resum-
ing construction of nuclear
plants. Despitewidespreadpub-
lic concern over possible radia-
tion contamination from the
Fukushima disaster and calls
for improved safety precau-
tions and emergency prepared-
ness, China remains committed
to building up nuclear power
to help reduce emissions from
coal-fired plants and curb its
reliance on costly oil imports.
China suspended approvals
of new nuclear plants after a
tsunami triggered by the mas-
sive March 11, 2011, earthquake
crippled the Fukushima plant's
cooling and backup power
systems, causing partial melt-
downs in the worst nuclear
disaster since the 1986 Cher-
nobyl catastrophe.
China's leaders ordered
safety checks for existing
nuclear facilities, a review of
projects under construction
and improved safety stan-
dards.
"The inspection results show
that nuclear security is guaran-
teed in China," according to a
government report on its ener-
gy policy also released Wednes-
day. "China implements the
principle of 'safety first' in the
whole process of nuclear power
station planning."
China currently has 15 nucle-
ar reactors that provide about
12.5 gigawatts of generating
capacity, and another 26 reac-
tors are under construction
that will add 30 gigawatts, the
report said.
Nuclear power accounts for
only 1.8 percent of power in
China, it said.
The government report also
said that China is now 90 per-
cent energy self-sufficient, but
acknowledged high demand
will continue to put a strain on
resources.
It also warned of"grave chal-
lenges" to its energy security
in its growing dependence on
imported petroleum. Imports
accounted for a third of total
petroleum consumption in the
early 2000s and have jumped
to nearly 60 percent now, the
report said.
China will also encourage
private companies to partici-
pate in exploration and devel-
opment of energy resources, it
said.
Auto bailout key for
Obama's pull in Ohio
More than 850,000
Ohio jobs are tied to
the car industry
LORDSTOWN, Ohio (AP)
- President Barack Obama's
decision to help America's
automakers could end up being
what helps drive him back into
the White House.
Some 850,000 jobs in this
critical battleground state are
tied to autos and Obama's cam-
paign constantly reminds vot-
ers they'd be jobless if not for
the decision to inject taxpayer
dollars into General Motors
and Chrysler. However, the
move has not translated into
automatic support for the presi-
dent, even in areas that depend
on the industry. Republican
Mitt Romney also is pitching
these voters hard with his mes-
sage that Obama hasn't bal-
anced Washington's checkbook
the same way voters must.
One in eight jobs in Ohio can
be linked to the auto industry -
whether it's working on a fac-
tory floor or selling groceries
to plant workers. The presiden-
tial race's outcome could boil
down to whether voters inter-
pret Obama's move as saving
Detroit or bailing it out. But like
other flashpoints in this rough
campaign, there is little middle
ground between the versions
of events and what it means for
voters' neighbors.
"I couldn't imagine what
Lordstown would be," said
Brian Axiotis, a 37-year-old
Obama supporter who works
in information technology and
lives in nearby Newton Falls.
"A lot of folks would lose their
houses. Consider the mess
that would have resulted. It'd
be a ghost town all over the
area."
Since its restructuring, the
General Motors plant in this
town of 4,000 people southeast
of Cleveland has added a third
shift - and 1,200 new workers
with it - to produce the popu-
lar compact Chevy Cruze. GM
has pledged $220 million in
updates to the factory and to
keep the 4,500 workers, sug-
gesting this town in the former
steel-heavy Mahoning Valley
has some stability ahead.
Romney volunteer Frank
Perrotta still finds Obama's
decision to loan automakers
billions a misuse of public dol-
lars. Between calls to voters
at Romney's office in Stow, he
shakes his head when talk-
ing about the government's
move to prevent the collapse of
GM and Chrysler. The bailout
began in 2008 under Repub-
lican George W. Bush and
Obama extended it.
Many GOP candidates rebuke
controversial rape comments
Mourdock says
'God intended'
pregnancies that
result from rape
WASHINGTON (AP) - Just
as Mitt Romney and other
Republicans had cut into the
Democrats' advantage with
female voters, a tea party-
backed Senate candidate's
awkward remark - that if rape
leads to pregnancy it's "some-
thing God intended" - has
propelled the emotional issue
of abortion back to the politi-
cal forefront. It's put GOP can-
didates in tight races, from
the presidential candidate on
down, on the defensive.
Divisive social issues are
hardly what most GOP candi-
dates want to be discussing in
the few days remaining until
elections largely hinging on
jobs and the economy. Almost
immediately after Richard
Mourdock's comment, Republi-
can candidates distanced them-
selves from the Indiana state
treasurer - though by varying
degrees.
The Romney campaign said
Wednesday that the presiden-
tial nominee disagreed with
Mourdock but stood by his
endorsement of the Senate can-
didate. There were no plans to
drop a Romney testimonial ad
for Mourdock that began airing
in Indiana on Monday.
Mourdock's comment in a
Tuesday night debate came in
answer to a question on when
abortion should or should not be
allowed. Said Romney spokes-
woman Andrea Saul: "We dis-
agree on the policy regarding
exceptions for rape and incest
but still support him."
Reaction was quick, from
Republican senators and can-
didates rejecting Mourdock's
statement.
Massachusetts Sen. Scott
Brown, struggling to hold onto
his seat against a challenge
from Democrat Elizabeth War-
ren, said he was "a pro-choice
Republican and that's not what
I believe and I disagree with
what he said." Pressed on his
support for Mourdock's candi-
dacy, Brown said that was up to
Indiana voters.
Connecticut Republican
Linda McMahon, bidding for
the Senate seat there, called
Mourdock's remarks "highly
inappropriate and offensive.
They do not reflect my beliefs as
a woman or a pro-choice candi-
date."
New Hampshire Repub-
lican Sen. Kelly Ayotte, who
had planned to campaign with
Mourdock in Indiana, canceled
her appearance.
In Wisconsin, former Repub-
lican Gov. Tommy Thompson,
who faces Democratic Rep..
Tammy Baldwin, called Mour-
dock's comments "really sad."
"I've got a wife and two
daughters and six granddaugh-
ters," he said in an interview.
"Anything dealing with rape
against women is uncalled for.
Period. No tolerance whatso-
ever."
Sen. John McCain, the 2008
GOP presidential nominee, told
CNN that his continued support
of Mourdock "depends on what
he does." The Arizona law-
maker who was the GOP's 2008
presidential nominee, said he
wants to see "if he apologizes
and says he misspoke and he
was wrong and asks people to
forgive him. It's when you don't
own up to it that people will not
believe in you."
Mourdock's debate comment
recalled GOP Senate candidate
Todd Akin's remark in August
about rape and pregnancy. The
Missouri congressman said
women's bodies have ways of
preventing pregnancy in cases
of "legitimate rape." Repub-
licans, led by Romney, called
for Akin to abandon the race,
but he refused and is pressing
ahead against Democratic Sen.
Claire McCaskill.
Romney and several Repub-
licans have been moderat- -
ing their positions in the
campaign's closing days, mak-
ing their final pitch to the
independents, undecideds and
female voters whose votes
could tip both the presidential
election and majority control
of the Senate. Recent national
polls have shown Obama's edge
with female voters shrinking to
single digits.
Valery Gergiev. music director
Denis Matsuev, piano
Saturday, October 27, 8 pm
Hill Auditorium
Performing Strauss, Shostakovich, and Stravinsky.
Supported by Renegade Ventures Fund
Presented with support from Catherine S. Arcure
Endowment Fund
Media Partners WGTE 91.3 FM, WRCJ 90.9 FM,
Detroit)ewish News, and WDET101.9 FM
STUDENT RUSH TICKETS AVAILABLE!
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