The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Thursday, September 19, 2013 - 3A
NEWS BRIEFS
FLINT, Mich.
Michigan colleges
use grants for
job training
Colleges and universities
across Michigan are sharing more
than $26 million in federal funds
to expand and develop job train-
ing programs.
The grants announced
Wednesday come from the Labor
Department and are part of $475
million going to schools across
the nation.
The largest state grants are
going to Baker College in Flint
and Macomb Community College
in Warren. Macomb is getting
about $9 million as the lead col-
lege in a consortium of eight edu-
cational institutions in Michigan.
ROYAL OAK, Mich.
Detroit Zoo to
build $21-million
penguin exhibit
The Detroit Zoo will be home
to the largest center in the U.S.
dedicated to penguins, thanks
to the most substantial private
donation in its 85-year history,
the zoo announced Wednesday.
Construction on the $21 mil-
lion facility will begin "in ear-
nest" in March and is expected
to open in late 2015, said Ron
Kagan, the zoo's executive direc-
tor and CEO.
"We don't think there is any-
thing comparable," Kagan said
at a news event that featured a
3-D film and "snow" that fell on
attendees. "To the best of our
knowledge, this is the largest ...
facility that is entirely dedicated
to penguins."
ACAPULCO, Mexico
Mexico flood kills
80, leaves many
stranded
The toll from devastating
twin storms climbed to 80 on
Wednesday as isolated areas
reported deaths and damage to
the outside world, and Mexi-
can officials said that a massive
landslide in the mountains north
of the resort of Acapulco could
drive the number of confirmed
dead even higher.
Interior Secretary Miguel
Angel Osorio Chong said fed-
eral authorities had reached the
cutoff village of La Pintada by
helicopter and had airlifted out
35 residents, four of whom were
seriously injured in the slide.
Officials have not yet seen any
bodies, he said, despite reports
from people in the area that at
least 18 people had been killed.
"It doesn't look good, based on
the photos we have in our posses-
sion," Osorio Chong said, while
noting that "up to this point, we
do not have any (confirmed) as
dead in the landslide." Osorio
Chong told local media that "this
is a very powerful landslide, very
big ... You can see that it hit a lot
of houses."
PARIS
Child beauty
pageants maybe
banned in France
Child beauty pageants may
soon be banned in France, after
a surprise vote in the French
Senate that rattled the pageant
industry and raised questions
about how the French relate to
girls' sexuality.
Such contests, and the made-
up, dolled-up beauty queens they
produce, have the power to both
fascinate and repulse, and have
drawn criticism in several coun-
tries. France, with its control-
ling traditions, appears to be out
front in pushing an outright ban.
French legislators stopped
short of approving a measure
banning anyone under 16 from
modeling products meant for
grown-ups - a sensitive subject
in a country renowned for its
fashion and cosmetics indus-
tries, and about to host Paris
Fashion Week.
-Compiled from
Daily wire reports
Central African
Republic lawless
after revolution
A life size image of lose Dirceu, chief of staff for former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, stands inside a mock prison
cage placed by protesters outside the Supreme Court in Brasilia, Brazil on Wednesday.
Brazilian court accepts appeals
in high-profile corruption cases
Rebel group
responsible for
killing civilians
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) - The
rebels who overthrew Central
African Republic's president six
months ago are killing scores of
civilians with impunity, in one
case shooting a woman walking
down the street and leaving her
for dead with a wailing baby still
strapped to her back, an interna-
tionalehuman rights group said
Wednesday.
In a report that document-
ed slayings and the "wanton
destruction" of more than 1,000
homes, Human Rights Watch
called for targeted sanctions
against leaders responsible for
the abuses. The group also urged
the international community to
help support an African Union
peacekeeping mission aimed at
protecting civilians in the after-
math of the March coup led by a
coalition of rebel groups known
collectively as Seleka.
"Seleka leaders promised a
new beginning for the people
of the Central African Repub-
lic, but instead have carried out
large-scale attacks on civilians,
looting and murder," said Daniel
Bekele, Africa director for the
organization.
In one attack documented
by Human Rights Watch, wit-
nesses said a self-appointed
mayor "went door to door in the
village, reassuring fearful resi-
dents it was safe to come out to
talk to the Seleka." Five of those
who did venture out from their
homes were then tied together
and grouped under a tree. The
fighters shot them one by one,
the report said.Whenone victim
did not die, his throat was slit,
witnesses recalled.
On Tuesday, the United States
said it was "gravely concerned
about the recent upsurge in vio-
lence" in Central African Repub-
lic.
"We remain concerned
about continuing violations
of international humanitar-
ian law and reports of wide-
spread human rights abuses by
these rebels. All perpetrators
of these crimes must be held
accountable," said Jen Psaki,
spokeswoman for the U.S. State
Department.
Dozen former
politicians and
business leaders
previously convicted
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) -
The Brazilian Supreme Court on
Wednesday accepted the appeals
of a dozen former political and
business leaders found guilty in
the nation's biggest corruption
trial, paving the way for new tri-
als and dealing a blow to those
who hailed the earlier convic-
tions as a turning point against
impunity.
The case involves a scheme
that came to light in 2005 in
which top aides to former Presi-
dent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
created a scheme to pay off legis-
lators so they would support the
ruling Workers Party initiatives
in Congress.
The guilty verdicts for 25
defendantslastyear were seen as
apositive signinacountrywhere
public service has been marred
by corruption and impunity
for centuries. On Wednesday,
the 11-member court weighed
a technical wrinkle in the case
and decided in a 6-5 vote that
defendants have the right to a
new trial for the criminal counts
for which they earlier received at
least four not-guilty votes.
That means 12 defendants will
get new trials, including Silva's
former chief of staff Jose Dirceu
and the former Workers Party
president Jose Genoino for con-
spiracy, and Joao Cunha, the ex-
leader of Brazil's lower house of
Congress, for money laundering.
Justice Celso de Mello cast
the sixth decisive vote in favor
of the appeals. He had been the
harshest critic of the defendants
during last year's trial, but said
it was his duty to defend the law
and not bend to widespread sup-
port for a quick end to the case.
"If it's true that the Supreme
Court is a place for the protection
and defense of fundamental free-
doms ... then it can't expose itself
to external pressures as a result
of popular outcry and pressure
from crowds," Mello said.
The move will nottotally clear
most of the defendants because
they were convicted on at least
one other charge by too wide of
a margin to allow for an appeal.
But it could allow them to win
a less harsh kind of imprison-
ment and be eligible for parole
earlier.
Some, like Dirceu may avoid
serving their sentences full-
time in prison by being placed
in a "semi-open" regime that
allows them to do supervised
work during the day and sleep
in prison at night.
Nobody has yet been jailed in
connection to the case, which
has angered Brazilians. The
court has not yet decided when
the appeals will be heard.
The Estado de S. Paulo news-
paper lamented in a Wednes-
day editorial that the top court
would miss the opportunity to
reject the appeals and signal that
"a tradition of impunity has been
broken" and "the powerful will
no longer be above the law and
beyond its reach."
The newspaper said impu-
nity is partly the fault of judges
in Brazil's notoriously slow and
complex legal system, with the
dominant idea being that "the
more time-consuming a deci-
sion, the more appeals there are"
the better the ruling.
Joaquim Falcao, a law profes-
sor and legal expert at Rio de
Janeiro's Getulio Vargas Foun-
dation, Brazil's top think tank,
said the justices were faced with
a tough and legitimate technical
question.
He said the top court's inter-
nal legal system allows appeals
on counts that receive at least
four not-guilty votes, but the
constitution doesn't mention
such appeals, leading to the
sharp divide between the jus-
tices.
Falcao said he understands
that frustrated Brazilians just
want the case to end, but he
defended the court's responsibil-
ity to work through the process.
"If the Supreme Court even-
tually absolves the defendants,
then you could have a situation
in which the democratic insti-
tutions are gravely discredited,"
he said. "There may be some
disillusionment with this rul-
ing, but I don't think it's insti-
tutionally grave for democracy.
I think it's more of a delayed
opportunity for justice."
ABORTION
From Page 1A
versation."
Members of the Univer-
sity's chapter of Students for
Choice were present to provide
Planned Parenthood's side of
the story.
LSA senior Sydney Gallup,
a Students for Choice chair
member, said after hearing
about a similar demonstration
performed by Students for Life
Tuesday at Eastern Michigan
University, her group wanted
to provide counterclaims to the
information the Planned Par-
enthood Project distributed on
the Diag. '.
"They hand out false infor-
mation that really paints
Planned Parenthood in a hor-
rible light," Gallup said. "We're
trying to get the truth out
there, answer any questions
people have and show support
for people who support choice."
The two competing demon-
INPUT
From Page 1A
tion on the regent's Presiden-
tial Search Advisory Commit-
tee.
To aid the student commit-
tee in acquiring general student
opinions on the presidential
search, Proppe's e-mail includ-
ed a link to an additional survey
and a hashtag to collect social
media posts.
At the University Coun-
cil meeting, CSG Vice Presi-
dent Bobby Dishell said
survey results compiledby other
schools, colleges and student
interest groups - such as the
survey administered by LSA-
SG - would also be taken into
strations succeeded in spark-
ing conversation. Students,
both those with an opinion on
the issues and those who were
unsure, passed through and
spoke to members from both
organizations.
Education graduate stu-
dent Griffin Pepper said he
moved to Michigan from
Washington D.C., where he
saw peaceful protests out-
side of Planned Parenthood
every day. He said the event
on the Diag seemed like a
respectful discussion.
"I tend to lean left and think
Planned Parenthood does a lot
of wonderful things for young
women in this country by pro-
viding low cost medical care
for those who can't necessarily
afford it," Pepper said. "I don't
think anyone should decide
medical care for anyone else,
except the patient and the doc-
tor."
-Daily Staff Reporter Ariana
Assaf contributed to this report.
consideration when the student
committee compiles its final
data.
On Sept. 26, members of the
Presidential Search Advisory
Committee will hold a public
forum to solicit student input.
While the newly created student
committee would be tasked with
presenting a report of their sur-
veyed findings, approximately
30 other speakers from the stu-
dent body will have the oppor-
tunity to speak at the forum.
In his e-mail, Proppe said
CSG would choose 30 individu-
als from those who show inter-
est to "represent a diverse group
of speakers and topics" at the
forum. If time permitted, addi-
tionally speakers may be called
upon at the meeting.
Egypt's ousted president speaks to
family for first time since removal
Military government
permits Morsi
one phone call
CAIRO (AP) - Egypt's ousted
president, Mohammed Morsi,
told his wife and children he is
in good health in his first con-
versation with his family since
the military removed him from
office and detained him in a
secret location more than two
months ago, one of his lawyers
said Wednesday.
The phone calls were an
apparent gesture by the military
as authorities prepare to put
Morsi ontrial on charges of incit-
ing the killing of protesters dur-
ing his year in office - though
no date for the trial has been set.
Morsi's legal team has so far not
been able to talk to him, said the
lawyer, Mostafa Atteyah.
The trial of Egypt's first freely
elected president is one link in
a wide-scale crackdown on his
Muslim Brotherhood that has
eviscerated its leadership and
much of its crucial mid-level
organizers. More than 2,000
jailed Brotherhood members are
facing potential prosecution in
multiple cases, with at least half
a dozen cases already referred to
trial.
Members of the Brotherhood's
legal team say the process so far
has been confused and opaque,
with their lawyers given little
access to their clients or knowl-
edge of the cases against them.
Atteyah said they have not been
able to attend Morsi's question-
ing and have not been shown the
prosecutors' final case referring
Morsi to trial.
The Islamist leader has been
held almost completely incom-
municado in an undisclosed
facility since the head of the mili-
tary ousted him on July 3 in the
wake of mass nationwide pro-
tests against him.
Since then, the Brotherhood,
which dominated power during
his year in office, has been reel-
ingunder the crackdown.
At least seven of the 18 mem-
bers of the Brotherhood's top
executive body, the Guidance
Bureau, have been arrested. The
most recent were two detained
along with the group's English-
language spokesman in a raid
Tuesday. Among those held for
weeks is the Brotherhood's top
leader Mohammed Badie, whose
trial on incitement charges is the
only one to have begun so far.
Nearly 1,500 mid-level admin-
istrators are in custody - about
60 percent of the regional man-
agers who do much of the Broth-
erhood's nationwide organizing,
Atteyah said.
Also arrested are most of
the Brotherhood members who
served as provincial governors or
lawmakers during Morsi's year
in office. The crackdown even
netted 56 people on the legal
team formed to defend Morsi
and other group members, said
Atteyah, one of 24 people left on
the team.
The rest of the group's leaders
are in hiding, with the remaining
members of the Guidance Bureau
managingthe group while on the
run, said one Brotherhood mem-
ber, who spoke on condition of
anonymity for security reasons.
The Brotherhood and Morsi's
other supporters continue near
daily protests demanding his
reinstatement. But their protests
have been smaller since security
4
forces violently broke up their
main sit-ins in mid-August,
sparking days of violence that
left over a 1,000 dead, mostly
Morsi supporters.
Authorities accuse the Broth-
erhood and allies of seeking
to undermine the new order
through a wave of violence since
the anti-Morsi protests began
on June 30 - when his sup-
porters repeatedly clashed with
opponents - and after the presi-
dent's ouster, when there was
a backlash of Islamist attacks
on government offices, security
personnel and churches.
Authorities say the group
stockpiled weapons and sup-
ported the attacks. Mostofthose
arrested have been on allega-
tions of inciting violence. The
Brotherhood insists its protests
against the coup are peaceful.
Morsi, who turned 62 last
month in detention, was allowed
to speak by phone with his wife
and children last week and a
second time two days later,
Atteyah said. The lawyer said
he reassured his wife he is in
good health. Morsi also spoke at
length with his son Osama, the
Brotherhood member said.
"I will remain steadfast to
the last breath," Morsi told his
family, according to the Turk-
ish news agency Anadolu, which
first reported the calls. Morsi
did not seem to know where he
was being held, the report said.
Atteyah confirmed the Anadolu
report.
The only visitors Morsi is
known to have seen were EU
foreign policy chief Catherine
Ashton and an African Union del-
egation. A delegation of Egyptian
rights groups was also i ermitted
to see him, but he declined.
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