THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 2012
PAGE 3
NEWS OF THE WORLD
Associated Press
MIDDLE EAST
Suicide bombing outside Kabul is linked to recent burning of the Quran at Bagram Air Field
KABUL, Afghanistan — A suicide bomber killed at least two civilians and wounded four others in an attack near an American military base outside Kabul, police said, the latest violence linked to burning of Qurans at the base.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kabir Ahmad, chief of Bagram district of Parwan on foot blew himself up close to a vehicle in a small NATO convey near Bagram Air Field, where U.S. forces burned Qurans and Islamic texts on Feb. 20. The burnings, which the U.S. said were an unintentional mistake, triggered six days of violence that left nearly 40 people dead — including six U.S. soldiers killed by Afghan security forces in apparent retaliation.
Afghan policemen collect body parts after a bombing. One person was killed and 11 were wounded in the attack.
NATO said that according to
initial reports, an explosion occurred outside of Bagram air base in eastern Afghanistan today. Capt. Justin Brockhoff, a spokesman, said there were no reports of NATO fatalities, and the base was not breached by the explosion.
"Coalition officials are gathering details at this time, and more information may be released as appropriate," he said.
Taliban spokesman Zabiulah Mujahid claimed responsibility, saying it was revenge for the recent burning of Qurans at the base.
The Taliban have been seeking to exploit the burnings and are increasingly citing them to justify their attacks. Qurans were among books burned because they were said to contain messages from militants.
Workers in Japan try different techniques to clean up radiation-contaminated communities
ASIA
FUKUSHIMA, Japan — Workers in rubber boots chip at the frozen ground, scraping until they've removed the top 2 inches (5 centimeters) of radioactive soil from the yard of a single home. Total amount of waste gathered: roughly 60 tons.
One down, tens of thousands to go. And since wind and rain spread radiation easily, even this yard may need to be dug up again.
The work is part of a monumental task: a costly and uncertain effort by Japan to try to make radiation-contaminated communities inhabitable again. Some contractors are experimenting with chemicals; others stick with shovels and high-pressure water. One government expert says it's mostly trial and error.
The radiation leak has slowed considerably at the Fukushima Daichi nuclear plant, nearly one year
Experts leading the government-funded project cannot guarantee success. They say there's no prior model for what they're trying to do. Even if they succeed, they're creating another problem they don't yet know how to solve: where to dump all the radioactive soil and debris they haul away.
after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami sent three of its reactors into meltdown. Work continues toward a permanent shutdown, but the Japanese government declared the plant stable in December, setting the stage for the next phase: decontaminating the area so that at least some of the 100,000 evacuated residents can return.
The government has budgeted $14 billion through March 2014 for the cleanup, which could take decades.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
A worker in Japan washes a door. Clean up workers tried different techniques to rid neighborhoods of radiation contamination.
SOUTH AMERICA
Politicians point their fingers after shooting outside political rally
CARACAS, Venezuela Gunshots were fired during an event where the leading opponent 64 President Hugo Chavez was visiting a traditionally pro-government neighborhood, wounding at least one person and prompting both political camps on Monday to trade blame for the violence.
A group of government supporters clashed with backers of opposition presidential candidate Henrique Capriles as he visited the Cotiza neighborhood of Caracas.
Justice Minister Tareck El Aissami said that the authorities are investigating Sunday's violence, in which the son of opposition lawmaker Ismael Garcia was lightly injured.
In messages on his Twitter account, Caprires accused government supporters of starting the violence.
Garcia said his son, who is also named Ismael, was wounded in an arm.
"The government can't say it isn't responsible for this," Garcia said by phone. He said government supporters from outside the area had come to cause problems, and that Capriles was well-received by many people in the area before the shots ranged out.
El Aissami accused the opposition of provoking the violence.
"They went to generate this show." El Aisami said on state television, according to the state-run Venezuelan News Agency.
He said there was no evidence to back Garcia's claim that backers of Chavez's socialist party had opened fire, and he encouraged Garcia to present any evidence to prosecutors.
A prosecutor was appointed to investigate along with the police.
CRIME
Recent increase in car burglaries on campus
KU Public Safety reported three car burglaries on campus involving broken windows over the weekend.
Captain Schuyler Bailey of University Office of Public Safety, said in an email two cars belonged to University students and the third belong to a campus visitor. He said it is uncertain whether the burglaries are related at this time, but there has been an increase in the number of car thefts this semester.
Two thefts occurred between Friday night and Saturday morning, according to reports from the Office of Public Safety. In the first, $250 in CDs and gift cards were stolen from a locked car after breaking one of the car's windows. In the second, a GPS, iPod and sunglasses were stolen from a locked car in lot 112,' just north of Oliver Hall.
A third burglary occurred Saturday night in lot 8 on Sunnyside Ave. The vehicle's car windows were smashed and $1,700 worth of items were reported stolen.
The three thefts totaled $2,187 in property loss and $600 in damage.
Bailey said KU Public safety is concerned about the upsurge in car burglaries, but officers will increase patrols of parking lots. He said camera monitors will also focus attention parking lot areas.
The KU Public Safety tip hotline is 785-864-8888.
— Luke Ranker
"The number one deterent to auto burglaries is not leaving anything of value where it's visible," Bailey said. He said students should call police if they see anyone in parking lots acting suspiciously.
FINANCE
Student senate will discuss student fees on Wednesday
Students are not expected to see much of a difference in student fees this fall, but the Student Senate finance committee will discuss fee allocations during its annual student fee review this Wednesday. The meeting is at 6 p.m. at the Alderson room of the Student Union.
However, any changes to student fees for fall will not be finalized until the full Senate meeting on March 14.
According to Josh Dean, the finance committee chair, there shouldn't be any major changes in fees from this year to next. However, fees may adjust to cover inflation or plans to add a social worker in Counseling and Psychological Services and an extra Safe Bus route to southwest Lawrence may affect fees for students next year.
During the past five years, total student fees have risen 13 percent from $377.75 in fiscal year 2008 to this year's fee of $428.95.
Vikaas Shanker
Total fees for past five years per semester for students enrolled in more than five credit hours