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Show 2 MONDAY, MARCH 7,2005 T A T E S M A N U T A Contact: \ \ • 797-1742 statesman@cc.usu.edu K Thousands celebrate Selma march Today's Issue Today is Monday, March 7, 2005. Today's issue of The Utah Statesman is published especially for Tyler Bass, an undeclared freshman from Kaysville, Utah. Civil-rights era figures observe 40th anniversary of march BvSAMIRAJAFARI Associated Press The policy of The Utah Statesman is to correct any error made as soon as possible. If you find something you would like clarified or find unfair, please contact the editor at 797-1762 or TSC 105. National Briefs Iraqi National Assembly to meet and name president BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraqi politicians set March 16 for the opening of the country's first democratically elected parliament in modern history as a deal hardened Sunday to name Jalal Talabani, a leader of the minority Kurds, to the presidency. The more powerful prime minister's job will go to Ibrahim al-Jaafari, a deeply conservative Shiite who leads the Islamic Dawa party. His nomination, which the Kurds have agreed to, has been endorsed by the most powerful Shiite cleric in Iraq — Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. "This was one of our firm demands and we agreed on it previously. The agreement states that Jalal Talabani takes the presidential post and one of the United Iraqi Alliance members takes the prime minister's post," Talabani spokesman Azad Jundiyan told The Associated Press. He added, however, that the clergybacked United Iraqi Alliance also reached a preliminary agreement with the Kurds on other conditions. Senate discusses raising retirement age to 68 WASHINGTON (AP) - A leading Republican senator is offering to raise the Social Security retirement age from 67 to 68, while Democrats maintain their opposition to the presidents plan to overhaul the retirement program with private investment accounts. Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel's plan would raise the age that retirees could receive full benefits, beginning in 2023. "We are living longer" Hagel said Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation." "So when you look at the total universe of this, I think that makes some sense to extend the age." But some leading Democrats said they could not support Hagel's plan because he would pay for private accounts by borrowing and increasing the nations deficit Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., told ABC's "This Week" that would be "a great threat to seniors" because it would raise interest rates. SELMA, Ala. — Aging civil rights-era figures and a bipartisan congressional delegation walked across an Alabama bridge with a throng of thousands Sunday to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the historic Selma voting rights march that opened ballot boxes to blacks across the South. Among those participating was Coretta Scott King, whose husband, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., led the original march in 1965. "The freedom we won here in Selma and on the road to Montgomery was purchased with the precious blood of many," said King, who crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge in a car. Police estimated the crowd at nearly 10,000. Others on hand to AP Photo/Kevin Clackmeyer REP. JOHN LEWIS, D-GA., center^ walks arm in arm with other members of Congress, in Selma, Ala., Sunday, on the Edmund Pettus Bridge to mark the 40th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery voting rights march. From left are, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., Lewis, Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md.; Rep. Artur Davis, D-Ala., and Senate Majority leader Bill Frist of Tennessee. commemorate the march across the bridge included singer Harry Belafonte, who also took part in the demonstration 40 years ago, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, and Lynda Johnson Robb, whose father, President Lyndon Johnson, signed the Voting Rights Act into law in 1965. "President Johnson signed that act, but it was written by the peo- ple of Selma," said Rep. John Lewis, D-GSL, who was clubbed on the head during the "Bloody Sunday" attack on marchers by state SFI MA MARCH See page 7 5 Reports say women worldwide worse off today than 10 years ago BY EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS - Many women are worse off today than they were 10 years ago, womeiV around the world say in a new report that accuses governments of failing to keep their pledge to achieve gender equality. Governments worldwide have adopted a "piecemeal and incremental" approach to women's rights that cannot achieve the goals in the landmark platform of action adopted at a 1995 U.N. conference in Beijing, it says. The report is the work of women's rights activists in 150 countries. Compiled by the Women's Environment and Development Organization, an international advocacy group based in New York, it was released Thursday to coincide with a high-level U.N. meeting on implementing the platform. The message was clear, starting with the title: "Beijing Betrayed." "The women of the world don't need any more words from their governments — they want action, they want resources and they want governments to protect and advance women's human rights " the report said. The women's report sounded very different from the speeches this week at the U.N. conference, where governments have been touting their records on women's rights. "The realities women document often contrast sharply with the officials' reports," June Zeitlin, the executive director of Women's Environment and Development, said. "What we see are powerful trends — growing poverty, inequality, growing militarization, and fundamentalist opposition to women's rights," she said. "These trends are harming millions of women worldwide." "Governments need to respond very strongly to counterbalance these trends and push the Beijing platform to further women's rights," Zeitlin said. Nonetheless, she said, "there is still some cause for celebration." Advocates of women's rights have stepped up their activities around the globe and have pressed governments to change some discriminatory laws. The number of countries that ratified the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women rose from 146 a decade ago to 179, though the United States has still not done so. The goal of giving every girl and boy an elementary school education by 2005 is likely to be met everywhere but sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, the report said. But despite these and other gains in the Beijing platform, "and despite a decade-worth of efforts ... many women in all regions are actually worse off than they were 10 years ago " the report said. Violence against women remains an "acute problem" affecting some two-thirds of women in relationships worldwide, the report said. For example, in Kazakhstan, over 60 percent of women have suffered from physical or sexual violence at least once in their lifetime. In the United States, 31 percent of women report being sexually abused by a husband or boyfriend. And in 2000, 44 percent of married women in Colombia suffered from violence inflicted by a male partner. CATCH OF THE MY OFF your next purchase with coupon. HUH ••»•-./ with $10 pin-chat*, whOo supplies lait. FIra us* Ptzz*ria / CowCota T->hIi irchaM after discount must total m*r S10. < oupon p«r customer. '•:• expires 4/3/05 7187=4221 Stone-Fired Pizzas Oven-Baked Pastas ; Cedar-Baked Sandwiches Succulent Salads Drinks • Appetizers Gourmet Desserts Come Experience the Stone! People COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) - Sri Lankan musicians are trying to rally stars such as Elton John, Madonna and Ricky Martin to record an album to raise relief funds for countries hit by the Dec 26 tsunami. Asoka Gunawardena, spokesman for United Artistes of Sri Lanka, said the group hopes to release "One Nation, One World, One Love" on March 26, marking the third month since the disaster occurred. "This album is produced as a tribute to all those who passed and all those who came for our help in this worst natural disaster," Gunawardena said Wednesday. The Sri Lankan group has contacted Western music industry representatives to try rallying stars to contribute to the 18-song album, he said. Hundreds of other singers from Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Somalia and the Maldives may also contribute. ATLANTA (AP) - Thrilled by Jamie Foxx's Oscar win for his portrayal of Ray Charles in "Ray," the Georgia House is hoping the actor will visit the Capitol and re-enact a 1979 visit by the singer. A resolution introduced Thursday congratulates Foxx on his best-actor Oscar and invites him to the chamber to be honored. The Legislative Black Caucus, which sponsored the idea, is hoping Foxx would perform "Georgia on My Mind" on a piano in the House chamber. Charles performed the song for lawmakers in 1979 when it was designated the state song. Georgia politicians maintained a close relationship with the singer afterward; he performed at the 2003 inauguration of Gov. Sonny Perdue. In his autobiography, "Brother Ray," Charles said he was deeply honored by his visit to the House. Late light Late-night quotes compiled from www.politicalhumor.about.com • "President Bush has started to make plans for what he is going to do after he leaves the White House. He better hurry up because under his plan he sure won't be able to live under Social Security." —Jay Leno • "Have you seen the cover of Newsweek? They have Martha Stewart on the cover, but its not actually Martha. It's a doctored i photo. They put Marthas head on a slimmer woman's body. And j Martha was very upset about this, j She said, 'Hey, if I wanted my face j on another woman's body, I'd stay ' in prison.'" —Jay Leno • "87-year-old West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd is in trouble after he compared Senate Republicans to Nazis. He would have compared them to the Ku Klux Klan but he remembered he used to be a member so he had to go with Nazis." —Jay Leno UTAH STATE UNivKRsm The Utah Statesman is the official campus newspaper of Utah State University, published three times each week, and produced entirely by students. The paper is distributed to on-campus locations and selected downtown locations every Monday, Wednesday and Friday of the academic school year. 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