Moscow—Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on
Thursday Washington and Moscow must set aside
the power politics of the past and use a
forthcoming summit to unite in tackling global
economic and political problems. President
Barack Obama’s first visit to Moscow next week
is expected to demonstrate the first fruits of
his and Medvedev’s attempts to “reset” thorny
relations, which reached post-Cold War lows
under the previous U.S. administration. At their
first brief meeting in London on April 1,
Medvedev and Obama committed themselves to
cooperating on further nuclear arms cuts and on
solving the conflict in Afghanistan where a
U.S.-led international force is fighting the
resurgent Taliban.
Washington—Determined to advance President
Barack Obama’s health care agenda, key Senate
Democrats are calling for a government-run
insurance option to compete with private plans,
as well as a $750-per-worker annual fee on
larger companies that do not offer coverage to
employees. In a letter outlining the details,
Sens. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., and
Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., said their revised
plan would cost dramatically less than an
earlier, incomplete proposal, and help show the
way toward coverage for 97 percent of all
Americans.
Jerusalem—Amnesty International (AI) said on
Thursday Israel inflicted “wanton destruction”
in the Gaza Strip in attacks that often targeted
Palestinian civilians during an offensive in
December and January in the Hamas-run enclave.
The London-based rights group, in a 117-page
report on the 22 days of fighting, also
criticized the Islamist movement Hamas for
rocket attacks on Israel, which it called “war
crimes.”
Los Angeles—The circumstances surrounding
Michael Jackson’s death have become a federal
issue, with the Drug Enforcement Administration
(DEA) asked to help police take a look at the
pop star’s doctors and possible drug use.
Following Jackson’s death, allegations emerged
that the 50-year-old King of Pop had been
consuming painkillers, sedatives and
antidepressants.
EHUD Barak arrives in Washington bearing a new
Israeli proposal to bridge the differences over
a settlement freeze that have arisen between the
Obama and Netanyahu governments. It involves a
three— to six-month cessation of all new
construction, excluding East Jerusalem.
Construction currently underway, which Israel
claims amounts to 2,000 units, would be
grandfathered into the agreement. I call it
either “freeze-lite” or “freeze fraud.”
