The Michigan Daily- michigandaily.com Friday, January 25, 2013 - 3 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Friday, January 25, 2013 - 3 NEWS BRIEFS DETROIT Soccer player at Northern Michigan drowns A Northern Michigan Univer- sity women's soccer player who drowned during a team workout in a campus pool had epilepsy and may have had a seizure as recently as last summer, accord- ing to newly released investiga- tive reports that detail the frantic attempt to revive her. The medical examiner's office ruled Arianna "Anna" Alioto's death an accidental drowning, and didn't mention her epilepsy or suggest that any health condi- tion may have contributed to her drowning. The newly released reports, which The Associated Press obtained through Freedom of Information act requests, don't contradict the medical examiner's findings, but they do show that the 18-year-old freshman midfielder needed medication to keep epilep- tic seizures at bay. SALT LAKE CITY Freezing rain ices roads, paralyzing transportation A rare freezing rain caused major havoc in Salt Lake City Thursday, creating sheets of ice on roads, sidewalks and airport runways. The Salt Lake City Internation- al Airport was closed for about three hours, delaying hundreds of passengers. The closure came after a Frontier Airlines plane landing from Denver slid on a patch of ice while on the runway. Nobody was injured. Morning commutes were brought to a crawl by the icy con- ditions, which caused dozens of accidents that closed lanes. Utah Highway Patrol called in off- duty officers to deal with all the accidents. "CAIRO Conflicts arise on eve of uprising anniversary Egyptian security forces fired tear gas and protesters hurled stones and Molotov cocktails in a day-long demonstration on Thurs- day, raising fears of a violent anni- versary of the 2011 uprising that toppled long-time authoritarian President Hosni Mubarak. Youth activists and opposition groups have called for large ral- lies on the anniversary Friday in Cairo's Tahrir Square and in front of the president palace in the upscale suburb, Heliopolis. The protests, which left doz- ens injured, began before dawn in central Cairo when protest- ers tried to tear down a cement wall built to prevent them from reaching the parliament and the Cabinet building. The street clashes continued after darkness fell on the Egyptian capital. BEIRUT Syrian jets bomb rebel areas, killing at least 13 people Syrian warplanes bombed rebel areas near Damascus on Thursday as President Bashar Assad's troops battled opposition fighters for control of the road linking the capital to the coun- try's largest airport. Assad's forces are trying drive out rebels who have established enclaves in the suburbs. While the government has lost control of large swaths of territory in the country's north and east, includ- ing parts of the northern city of Aleppo, the capital remains tightly secured. Conditions in the city have worsened howeverwith prices for basic goods rising and fuel in short supply. U.S. officials said Thurs- day they believe Assad's sister and .mother have left the country, sug- gesting that hardship has reached even the leadership's families. -Compiled from Daily wire reports Steven Senne/AP State Rep. Frank Ferri (D-Warwick) center left, and his partner Tony Caparco, far left, greet Wendy Baker and her partner Judy McDonnell both of Providence, R.I., in the gallery of the House Chamber at the Statehouse. Rhod Islandoe approves gay marriage bill after debate Vote overcomes Catholic opposition to legislation PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - The Rhode Island House of Representatives on Thursday overwhelmingly passed legisla- tion to allow gays and lesbians to marry in the only New Eng- land state where they can't. The House voted 51-19 after an often emotional debate that touched on civil rights, reli- gion and the nature of mar- riage. The bill now moves to the Senate, where both sup- porters and opponents of gay marriage say it is difficult to predict the bill's fate. "This has been a long jour- ney," said House Speaker Gordon Fox, who is gay and supported same-sex legisla- tion when it was first intro- duced in 1997. "Today is a great day. Today ... we stand for equality, we stand for justice." Thursday's vote posed the most significant challenge yet for gay marriage in Rhode Island. While the five other New England states already allow gay couples to marry, attempts have fallen flat in this heavily Catholic state. "I wanted to be here to see it," said 70-year-old Warwick resi- dent Ken Fish, who is gay. Fish showed up at the Statehouse hours early to ensure he had a seat in the crowded viewing gal- lery. "Go back 10 years, even five years, and I wasn't sure we'd ever get here. We're not done yet, but this is a big one." Nine states and the District of Columbia now allow gay and lesbian couples to marry. Gay marriage opponents vow to press their case in the Sen- ate, where Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed, D-Newport, remains opposed to the legisla- tion. Chris Plante, director of the state chapter of the National Institute for Marriage, said he believes state leaders who sup- port gay marriage aren't reflect- ing public sentiment. "Rhode Islanders care about marriage, and they don't want to see it redefined," he said. Some opponents have sug- gested placing gay marriage on the ballot as a referendum, but the idea is a nonstarter with Fox and independent Gov. Lincoln Chafee, agaymarriage supporter. A handful of lawmakers rose during the debate to criticize gay marriage as a dangerous social experiment. Rep. Arthur Corvese, D-North Providence, warned lawmakers that same- sex marriage was an "irrevo- cable societal game-changer" that would redefine "the fun- damental building block of our community" and could lead to the legalization of polygamy or plural marriages. "Truth must not be sacrificed on the altar of political correct- ness," he said. "Is this the vision you want for Rhode Island's future? Is this the future you want for America?" Sex abuse claims made against LA teacher. Third grade conducted during the police investigation, and 20 female stu- teacher and dents were found to have been victimized, Los Angeles police principal removed Capt. Fabian Lizsarraga said. Another victim was a female teacher who complained. that LOS ANGELES (AP) - Just Pimentel had inappropriately weeks after the arrest of a third- touched her, police said. grade teacher accused of sexu- The alleged abuse occurred in ally abusing nearly two dozen Pimentel's fourth-grade class- students engulfed Los Angeles room during school hours and school officials in a scandal last in some cases was witnessed year, word surfaced that chil- by other students, Lizarraga dren were being fondled by a said. The sexual abuse involved fourth-grade teacher at another fondling over and underneath school. clothing, he said. Havingbeen jolted by the first The Pimentel case may have case, Los Angeles Unified School been the first in the district that District officials moved swiftly, fell under the new policy, district The fourth-grade teacher, Rob- Superintendent John Deasy said. ert Pimentel, was pulled from "It was very close to the first, his classroom, the state teacher if not the first," he said. "I don't credentialing commission was know if it was a direct result (of notified, and parents were alert- the Miramonte case). There was ed. When it became clear that a potentially serious problem years-old allegations against there and we acted and did what Pimentel hadn't been thorough- we did." ly investigated, the principal at Lizarraga added that although his school was also removed. there was a spike in parent com- While it took nearly a year to plaints after the Miramonte bring charges against Pimentel, case, there wasn't any tie to the the reaction by the school dis- Pimentel case. . trict shows how recent reforms "These were some really alert put in place have reshaped how parents knowing their kids and the school system deals with noticing subtle changes in their sexual abuse by teachers. personalities," Lizarraga said. Those reforms came after the The accusations against February 2012 'arrest of Mira- Pimentel, 57, span eight months, monte Elementary School third- dating back to September 2011. grade teacher Mark Berndt, who is He was arrested Wednesday and accused of blindfolding pupils and charged with 15 felony counts. feeding them his semen in a tast- When the investigation ing game. The district has since against him began in March, mandated that parents be noti- the district was already reeling fied within 72 hours of a report from Berndt's February 2012 of a suspected abuser, and that arrest. Berndt has pleaded not each case be reviewed by sev- guilty to 23 counts of lewd acts eral human resources staffers to and is awaiting trial. More than ensure it is reported to the Com- 225 parents and students are mission on Teacher Credentialing. involved in various claims for District officials have also damages against the district vowed to investigate molesta- regarding that case. tion claims and move quickly to In a separate case, a jury in remove suspected teachers from December ordered the district to classrooms while investigations pay a boy molested by an elemen- are ongoing. tary school teacher $6.9 million Police were contacted in March - among the largest awards in by the parents of five students at the history of the school system. GeorgeDe La Torre Jr. Elemen- The jury found the district liable tarySchoolwho said Pimentelhad for the repeated molestation of touched their children inappropri- the 10-year-old student in 2008 ately. District officials immediate- and 2009 byteacher Forrest Sto- ly removed him from campus and bbe at Queen Anne Elementary notifications were sent out. School in the city's mid-Wilshire More than 70 interviews were district. Mali rebel group splits France continues aid Inspired by Obama, global leaders to focus on climate change issues World Economic Forum attendees discuss new political tactics DAVOS, Switzerland (AP)- Hurricanes, floods, droughts and a newly climate-conscious Barack Obama are helping boost efforts around the world to fight climate change. Top political and finan- cial leaders at the World Eco- nomic Forum in Davos say recent natural disasters, along with Obama's inauguration announcement this week that he's making the battle against rising temperatures a pillar of his second term, could rev up the glacially slow climate pact negotiations and revive fund- raising for global action to cool the planet. "Unless we take action on climate change, future genera- tions will be roasted, toasted, fried and grilled," Internation- al Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde told participants at Davos. The U.N.'s climate chief, Christiana Figueras, told The Associated Press in an inter- view- Thursday that Obama's. emphasis on climate "definitely is a political boost." She said Hurricane Sandy and drought in the Midwest last year helped push climate change back onto the U.S. political debate. "We also need to see clearly, much more engagement from the United States, we need to a confirmation from the new leadership in China that they remain on course and are will- ing to engage further. From the Europeans, we need to see that they also remain on course," Figueras said. "And then all of the emerging economies, in addition to China, need to begin to explore the opportunities that they have." The U.N. climate talks, now two decades in the making, have so far failed to reduce car- bon dioxide and other green- house gas emissions that most scientists say are warming the Earth. Participants at the Davos forum - which identifies extreme weather as one of the top three risks to the global. economy - called for global action. Until now, rich and poor countries have accused U.S. leaders of hampering the global fight against climate change, which scientists say is caus- ing a rise in temperatures and sea levels, threatening island nations and other low-lying areas, and shifting weather patterns to produce more droughts, floods and devastat- ing storms. Figueras, the daughter of a former Costa Rican president, and Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla both said their country could serve as an example. "Costa Rica is already pro- ducing 90 percent of the energy we are consuming from renew- able sources," Chinchilla told AP. "We are encouraging the policies of many different com- panies - many are already adopting the right policies. For example, in the agricultural sector, we already have coffee which is certified carbon-neu- tral coffee." European Union Climate Commissioner Connie Hede- gaard called the battle against global warming the greatest economic challenge of this cen- tury. Several CEOs of major banks and businesses said there have been robust discussions at Davos on potential private financing for "green" technolo- gies to produce cleaner sources of energy. So far, nations have ponied up about $30 billion toward the $100 billion a year goal by 2020 set at Copenhagen's U.N. cli- mate talks in 2009. A U.N. climate conference in Doha, Qatar, agreed in Decem- ber to extend the Kyoto Pro- tocol, a treaty that limits the greenhouse gas output of some rich countries, and agreed to adopt a new global climate pact by 2015. But hopes for stronger U.S. leadership in the ongo- ing U.N. climate talks were dimmed when legislation to cap emissions stalled in Congress. "We're coming out of two years of climate silence," said Fred Krupp, president of the U.S.-based Environmental Defense Fund. "The impacts of extreme weather are now affecting everybody in the wal- let." Krupp said while no one is going to invest in unprofitable new technologies, a growing number of clean-energy invest- ments are highly profitable. Nations also agreed at the U.N. climate talks in Copen- hagen to set a goal of limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahren- heit). But because of inaction, Figueras said, the world is now" on "somewhere between a 4 and 6 degree (Celsius) trajec- tory." "But the door is not closed," she .quickly added. "We have the technology, we have the capital. We have the possibil- ity." U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says one of his top hopes for 2013 is to reach a new agreement on climate change. "Slowly but steadily, we are coming to realize the risks of a carbon-based economy," he told the forum Thursday. "Those supposedly longer- term issues are actually silent crises with us today: the death of children from preventable diseases; the melting of the polar ice caps because of cli- mate change. ... Let not our inaction today lead to harsh judgment tomorrow." Prince Albert II of Monaco, whose foundation focuses on climate change and other envi- ronmental issues, said Obama's inauguration speech gave a welcome lift toward collective action. "That can only be positive, because we need to have the U.S. on board," he told the AP. Military offensive in former colony continues advance SAN, Mali (AP) - Mali's rebel movement showed new signs of discord on Thursday in the wake of punishing French air strikes, with one wing of the Ansar Dine group now pledging to negotiate an end to the country's crisis and possibly even fight against its for- mer comrades-in-arms. France's air and land cam- paign that began two weeks ago to save Mali's .embattled interim government has shaken up the military landscape and put the international spotlight on the former French colony. Mali's gov- ernment was on a new political defensive, urging its soldiers to respect human rights after new allegations that they had car- ried out summary executions in zones of battle against the radical Islamists. Three al-Qaida-linked extrem- ist groups have controlled Mali's vast northeast for months, capi- talizing on chaos that followed a coup d'etat in Mali's capital, Bamako, in March. But in a new sign of splintering, former Ansar Dine leader Alghabass Ag Intal- la told the Associated Press on Thursday that he and his men were breaking off from Ansar Dine "so that we can be in control of our own fate." "We are neither AQIM or MUJAO," he said of the other groups, al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb and the Movement for the Unity and Jihad in West Afri- ca, known by its French-language acronym. "We are a group of peo- ple from the north of Mali who have a set of grievances that date back at least 50 years." The comments suggested that at least some of Islamist fighters are searching for, an exit in the wake of the French airstrikes. French radio RFI reported ear- lier Thursday that Intalla's new group will be called the Islamic Movement for the Azawad, a Tuareg term for northern Mali, and his men are willing to fight their former comrades-in-arms in Ansar Dine. "We are not terrorists. We are ready to negotiate," Intalla told the AP. A French diplomatic official said Francewas taking seriously the claims of a split within Ansar Dine - but needed proof, not just words. AQIM and MUJAO have been classified as terror groups by the U.N., and Ansar Dine has been "clearly associated" with them - even if some of its members have raised doubts about how close those ties are, the official said. "The other groups that have formed need to show which side they're on ... and prove it on the ground," said the official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. "Are they with the terrorists, or not?" "They could, for example, free up territory themselves and no longer say that the Malian army is not welcome in the north - and instead work with it," the official said. Late last year, Ansar Dine held talks in neighboring Burkina Faso with Malian government repre- sentatives, and one of the sticking points was a disagreement over whether Malian law or Islamic Shariah law would be applied. Rebels have at times applied their interpretation of Shariah to carry out public executions, amputations, and whippings - for infractions ranging from possessing cigarettes to women going out without headscarves.