The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Monday, February 18, 2013 - 3A NEWS BRIEFS DEARBORN, Mich. Colleges struggle when students drop out, keep aid Students who get federal grants but don't attend school are leaving Michigan colleges with a bill worth millions of dollars. When students don't spend the money on approved expens- es, colleges, especially two-year schools, are turning to tuition increases to repay the federal gov- ernment, a newspaper reported Sunday. Henry Ford Community Col- lege in Dearborn is on the hook for $4.1 million. Oakland Com- munity College in Southfield owes $700,000 from last semester after 1,000 students with grants didn't show up for classes, the Detroit Free Press reported. Students who don't use the full amount of their Pell Grant often get a check for the balance from the school. But schools can be held responsible if students then drop out and don't spend the money properly. PALM CITY, Fla. Tiger Woods joins vacationing Obama for golf President Barack Obama played golf Sunday with Tiger Woods, the White House said Sunday. Once the sport's dominant player before his career was sidetracked by scandal, Woods joined Obama at the Floridian, a secluded and exclusive yacht and golf club on Florida's Treasure Coast where Obama is spending the long Presidents Day weekend. The two had met before, but Sun- day was the first time they played together. The White House has prohib- ited media coverage of Obama's weekend golf outing. LOS ANGELES Long-missing WWII medal presented in LA Hyla Merin grew up without a father and for a long time never knew why. Her mother never spoke about the Army officer who died before Hyla was born. The scraps of information she gathered from other relatives were hazy: 2nd Lt. Hyman Markel was a rabbi's son, brilliant at mathematics, the brave winner of a Purple Heart who died sometime in 1945. Aside from wedding photos of Markel in uniform, Merin never glimpsed him. But on Sunday, decades after he won it, Merin received her father's Purple Heart, along with a Silver Star she never knew he'd won and a half-dozen other medals. MOSCOW Meteor-damaged windows fixed in Russian city Authorities in a Russian city say more than half of the acres of windows smashed in the city by an exploding meteor's shock wave have been replaced. Friday's explosion, estimat- ed to be equivalent to several atomic bombs, shattered glass in more than 4,000 buildings in Chelyabinsk and the surrounding region, leaving residents vulner- able in temperatures well below freezing. About 1,200 people were injured, mostly by broken glass, with 40 still hospitalized Sunday, the ITAR-Tass news agency said, citing Emergency Ministry figures. The Chelyabinsk city admin- istration said in a Sunday state- ment that nearly 60 percent of the city's broken windows had been replaced. * Pieces of the meteor are believed to have fallen into an ice- covered lake about 80 kilometers (50 miles) outside the city, but no fragments have been reported found. -Compiled from Daily wire reports 1 40 Karzmai tries to limit int'l airstrikes Mohammad Hannon/AP Libyans release a lantern into the air at Nasr Square, during the second anniversary of the uprising that toppled longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in Benghazi, Libya. Libya's struggle to deliver lasting justice fuels violence Sunday marks two years since historic uprising BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) - Col. Faraj el-Dersi, who defected to the rebel side from Moammar Gadhafi's police force, was gunned down late last year on the streets of Benghazi, and he bled to death in the arms of his teenage daughter. As Libya on Sunday marked the second anniversary of the start of the uprising that toppled Gadhafi, the death of el-Dersi and nearly 40 other similar slayings are seen as evidence that some in the country are too impatient for a political system that has yet to deliver justice and national reconciliation. Suspicion in many of the killings of senior security and military officials has fallen on Islamists who were brutally suppressed under Gadhafi. Now, they have become among the most powerful groups in the new Libya, particularly in the east, with heavily armed militias at their command. And they are settling old scores themselves, rather than wait for transitional justice - the process of society punish- ing or forgiving the abuses of the old regime. Mustafa al-Kufi, a 59-year- old former prisoner and polit- ical activist, said the various post-Gadhafi governments and the current parliament are all fearful that if they head down the path of tran- sitional justice, many mem- bers of the ruling class would be among those punished for past wrongdoing. "This is a very pressing issue and a core demand in the street," said al-Kufi, who spent 12 years in prison under Gad- hafi. "We need to know who did what and then ask families of the victims for forgiveness. But since this didn't take place, violence will continue because there is no justice. Like other Arab countries that ousted authoritarian lead- ers, Libya is now mired in a chaotic and violent transition to a new society. It is plagued by unruly and heavily armed militias that have slowly come under a unified command but remain filled with hard-liners who were in the front line in the war against Gadhafi. The transition is further complicated by an autonomy movement in the oil-rich east, a central government too weak to exert its authority across the vast desert nation, and heavily armed Islamic extrem- ists who are pressing to fill a power vacuum. The civil war swept Gadhafi from power, but the bitterness and rage lingers in a country where the authoritarian gov- ernment imprisoned, tortured and killed its opponents. Hana al-Gallal, a prominent Benghazi lawyer, said allow- ing old regime figures to be part of the new order will only fuel more violence. "Those whose sons were killed, their dreams shattered by the Gadhafi regime, will seek revenge when they see them back in power," she said. "The result is assassinations." Some of the anger is direct- ed at those who were in the old government - from low-level police officials to ex-ministers who are now police chiefs and lawmakers. That has prompt- ed a push to prevent those with ties to the former leader- ship from serving in positions of power. Move will likely limit U.S. advantage as Obama draws war to an end KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Angry over civilian deaths, Presi- dent Hamid Karzai announced plans Saturday to ban Afghan security forces from requesting international airstrikes on resi- dential areas. If he issues the decree as promised, the move would pose a significant new challenge to gov- ernment troops who have relied heavily on foreign air power to give them an advantage against insurgents on the battlefield even as the U.S. and other countries prepare to end their combat mis- sion in less than two years. The declaration came as anger- mounted over a joint Afghan-NATO operation this week that Afghan officials said killed 10 civilians, including women and children, in north- east Kunar province. "I will issue a decree tomor- row that no Afghan security forces, in any circumstances, in any circumstances can ask for the foreigners' planes for carrying out operations on our homes and villages," Karzai said in a speech at the Afghan National Military Academy in Kabul. Civilian deaths at the hands of foreign forces, particularly airstrikes, have been among the most divisive issues of the 11-year-old war and have compli- cated negotiations for a bilateral security agreement that would govern the foreign presence in the country after 2014. The U.S.-led coalition has implemented measures to miti- gate them, but the Afghan mili- tary also relies heavily on air support to gain an upper hand in the fight against Taliban mili- tants and other insurgents. Many Afghan and interna- tional officials have expressed concern that the impending withdrawal of international combat forces by the end of 2014 will deprive government secu- rity forces of that crucial weap on. President Barack Obama has announced that he will withdraw about half of the 66,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan within a year. Karzai has frequently denounced airstrikes and even demanded that they cease. But his speech Saturday was the first time he threatened to formalize his concern with a decree. The U.S.-led military coalition already said in June that it would limit airstrikes to a self-defense weapon of last resort for troops. That followed a bombardment that killed 18 civilians celebrat- ing a wedding in Logar province, which drew an apology from the American commander. Afghan and coalition offi- cials frequently offer differing accounts of military operations, with local residents claiming civilians were killed while for- eign troops insist they targeted insurgents. The line is often blurred because insurgents don't wear a uniform and are usually part of the community, with air- strikes and night raids hitting areas where women and children also are asleep. The U.N. mission in Afghani- stan said 83 civilians were killed and 46 wounded in aerial attacks by international military forces in the first half of 2012. That figure was down 23 percent from the same period of 2011, which was the deadliest year on record for civilians in the Afghan war. It said two-thirds of the casualties last year were women and children. Jamie Graybeal, a spokes- man for the U.S.-led coalition, declined to comment on Karzai's remarks because alliance officials had not seen the decree. But Gen. John Allen, the for- mer top commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, said before leaving that the coali- tion can provide air support to troops on the ground anywhere in Afghanistan within 12 min- utes of a request. He said Afghan forces would have to get used to not having the same abilities in the future. Karzai said Allen's successor, U.S. Gen. Joseph Dunford, told him that Afghanistan's intel- ligence agency, the National Directorate of Security, had requested the airstrike late Tues- day in Kunar's Shigal district, which borders Pakistan. When Dunford met with Karzai two days later, the coalition said the general expressed "his personal condolences for any civilians who may have died or been injured as a result of the operation" and said investigators were trying to assess what happened. Karzai said Afghan forces were ready to take over their own security despite concerns about persistent violence that have cast doubt on their capabilities. "We are happy that foreign forces are withdrawing from our country," he said. "We are happy for all their help and assistance so far, but we don't need foreign forces to defend our country. We want our Afghan forces to defend their homeland." GOP foes of Hagel nomination say confirmation vote should continue Critics say decision will hinge on coming disclosures PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) - Republican opponents of for- mer Sen. Chuck Hagel's stalled bid to become defense secre- tary said Sunday that they'll probably allow his Senate confirmation vote to proceed unless material more damaging to the nominee - and, by exten- sion, the Obama administration - surfaces in the coming week. Critics said the decorated Vietnam combat veteran is a "radical" unqualified to lead the U.S. military. A top White House official expressed "grave concern" over the delayed con- firmation vote, adding that there was nothing to worry about in any disclosures that may yet come. "No, I don't believe he's qualified," Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said of his fellow Republican and former Senate colleague. "But I don't believe that we should hold up his nom- ination any further, because I think it's (been) a reasonable amount of time to have ques- tions answered." McCain and other Repub- licans have angered President Barack Obama by delaying him from rounding out his second- term national security team, which includes Hagel and John Brennan, the White House counterterrorism adviser who is awaiting confirmation to become CIA director. Former Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry assumed his post as secretary of state at the beginning of Feb- ruary. Critics contend that Hagel, who snubbed McCain by stay- ing neutral in the 2008 presi- dential race between McCain and Obama, isn't supportive enough of U.S. ally Israel and is unreasonably sympathetic to Iran, which has defied interna- tional pressure to halt its pur- suit of material that could be used to make nuclear weapons. Hagel's nomination also became ensnared in Republi- can lawmakers' questioning of how the White House handled the Sept. 11 attack against a U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, in which the U.S. ambas- sador and three other Ameri- cans were killed. Hagel was not involved in the administration's response. GOP senators also have chal- lenged Hagel's past statements and votes on nuclear weapons, and his criticism of President George W. Bush's administration. Republicans last week delayed a confirmation vote, but have indicated that one will be allowed when senators return from a break on Feb. 25. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., another leader of the opposition to Hagel, referred to a letter he received from Hagel in response to questions about past statements on Israel. Gra- ham said that, as a result, he'll take Hagel "at his word, unless something new comes along." Still, the weeklong delay buys Hagel's opponents even more time to rally additional opposition. White House chief of staff Denis McDonough, making his first appearances on the Sunday talk shows in his new role, was asked if the delays in filling out Obama's Cabinet presented a threat to national security. "It's a grave concern," he said. Hagel "has one thing in mind: how do we protect the country," McDonough said, adding that there was nothing to worry about in any disclo- sures about Hagel that may still come. Graham said senators were taking seriously their respon- sibility to scrutinize "one of the most unqualified, radical choic- es for secretary of defense in a very long time." Last week, Obama criticized Republican senators for delay- ing the nomination, accusing them of playing politics with national security.