Public Option Called Essential
Democratic Lawmakers Express Concern
By Anne E. Kornblut and Perry Bacon Jr.
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Several leading Democrats voiced concern Monday about an apparent White House shift on health-care reform, objecting to signals from senior administration officials that they would abandon the idea of a government-run insurance plan if it lacked the backing to pass Congress. In the Senate, where negotiations are now focused, John D. Rockefeller IV (W.Va.) said that a public option, as the plan has become known, is “a must.” Sen. Russell Feingold (Wis.) said that “without a public option, I don’t see how we will bring real change to a system that has made good health care a privilege for those who can afford it.”House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) said that the plan will be included in whatever bill is voted on in the House. “There is strong support in the House for a public option,” she said, though she did not demand that the administration express support for the idea.
Former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung dies
The longtime dissident, who survived three assassination attempts and spent years in prison, was 85. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for engaging North Korea.
By Barbara Demick August 18, 2009
Kim Dae-jung, a former dissident who survived three assassination attempts, one death sentence and six years in prison to become South Korea’s president and its first Nobel laureate, died today in Seoul after a long bout of pneumonia.He was 85.
South Korea’s president from 1998 to 2003, Kim is best known for the moment on June 13, 2000, when he stepped onto the tarmac at Pyongyang’s airport with arms outstretched to embrace North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.
That landmark meeting, which was supposed to end 50 years of enmity between the Koreas, won Kim the Nobel Peace Prize.
USA
Mental Stress Training Is Planned for U.S. Soldiers
By BENEDICT CAREY
Published: August 17, 2009
PHILADELPHIA – The Army plans to require that all 1.1 million of its soldiers take intensive training in emotional resiliency, military officials say.
The training, the first of its kind in the military, is meant to improve performance in combat and head off the mental health problems, including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide, that plague about one-fifth of troops returning from Afghanistan and Iraq.Active-duty soldiers, reservists and members of the National Guard will receive the training, which will also be available to their family members and to civilian employees.
The new program is to be introduced at two bases in October and phased in gradually throughout the service, starting in basic training. It is modeled on techniques that have been tested mainly in middle schools.
Despite fumbles, Biden’s a player
Cementing his value to Obama, the vice president has been tapped to take on key issues.
By Peter Nicholas and Paul RichterAugust 18, 2009
Reporting from Washington – The gaffes keep piling up: the untimely comments stoking fears of swine flu, dismissals of Russia that seem straight out of the Cold War.But in defiance of the normal rules of American politics, Vice President Joe Biden appears to be solidifying his relationship with his boss and accumulating more assignments central to the administration’s agenda.
Having lined up support in the Senate to assure passage of the $787-billion economic stimulus plan, Biden was recently tapped by President Obama to play a bigger role in the healthcare debate that is now dominating the congressional agenda.
Europe
Suicide truck bomb in Russia’s Ingushetia republic
Terrorist rams gates of police headquarters, killing and injuring officers on parade and civilians
Tom Parfitt in Moscow and agencies in Nazran
Russia’s restive North Caucasus suffered its deadliest attack in years this morningwhen at least 20 people were killed and scores injured in a suicide truck bombing at a police station in the city of Nazran.The attacker rammed the explosive-laden truck into the gates of the police headquarters just as officers lined up on morning parade. Police fired on the vehicle and one officer managed to jump on to the running board and wrench at the driver’s door, when the truck exploded, according to witnesses.
The blast triggered a fire that raged for hours, destroying a weapons room where ammunition detonated.
‘Real IRA’ man faces trial in Lithuania accused of arms dealing for dissident group
A man accused of trying to buy arms and explosives in Lithuania, Michael Campbell, for a dissident Irish Republican Army group is to face trial in the Baltic state.
By Andrew Hough
Published: 2:45AM BST 18 Aug 2009
The 36 year-old, whose brother is believed to be a senior Real IRA commander, is accused of obtaining weapons illegally and aiding a terrorist organisation.Campbell, from Upper Faughart, Dundalk, Co Louth, has been behind bars for 19 months since he was arrested in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius while meeting with an undercover agent who reportedly offered him weapons.
Prosecutors told the BBC that the Lithuanian undercover agents allege he paid 10,000 euros (£8,600) for a haul of weapons including a sniper rifle, detonators, timers and about 10kg (22lb) of high explosives.
He was detained in January 2008 after allegedly handing over the money in a garage in the industrial zone of Vilnius.
Middle East
Israel pays lip-service to the two-state solution, while making it impossible
The Jewish state condemns illegal settlers but continues to take the Palestinians’ land and to strangle their economy
Slavoj Zizek
On 2 August 2009, after cordoning off part of the Arab neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah in east Jerusalem, Israeli police evicted two Palestinian families (more than 50 people) from their homes; Jewish settlers immediately moved into the emptied houses. Although Israeli police cited a ruling by the country’s supreme court, the evicted Arab families had been living there for more than 50 years. The event – which, rather exceptionally, did attract the attention of the world media – is part of a much larger and mostly ignored ongoing process.Five months earlier, on 1 March, it had been reported that the Israeli government had drafted plans to build more than 70,000 new homes in Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank; if implemented, the plans could increase the number of settlers in the Palestinian territories by about 300,000 Such a move would not only severely undermine the chances of a viable Palestinian state, but also hamper the everyday life of Palestinians.
Clerics order closure of Iranian paper
By Fredrik Dahl, Reuters
Tuesday, 18 August 2009
Iranian police used batons to disperse dozens of opposition supporters chanting “death to the dictator” in central Tehran yesterday following the reported closure of a reformist newspaper.The latest street unrest after Iran’s disputed June 12 presidential vote took place near the offices of the Etemad-e Melli, the daily of leading pro-reform cleric Mehdi Karoubi.
Karoubi angered many hardliners last week by saying some post-election protesters had been raped in jail. His party said on Monday that the paper had been temporarily shut down, and the prosecutor’s office later confirmed this.
“In accordance with the law … the Etemad-e Melli newspaper belonging to Mr Karoubi has been suspended until further notice,” an official statement carried by the semi-official Mehr News Agency said, without giving a reason.
Africa
‘Shopaholic’ ex-president of Zambia cleared of corruption
Chiluba walks free from test-case trial in huge setback to anti-corruption drive across AfricaBy Daniel Howden, Africa Correspondent
Tuesday, 18 August 2009
A court in Zambia yesterday acquitted the former president Frederick Chiluba of looting the treasury while in office in a decision greeted as a major setback to anti-corruption efforts across Africa. The surprise verdict confounded expectations of a historic first graft conviction for an African leader by the courts in his own country – a move that would have reverberated throughout the continent.Mr Chiluba, a former bus conductor and trade union leader who served two terms in office between 1991 and 2002, had been accused of stealing $500,000 (£300,000) in public funds.
Lions face extinction in Kenya within 20 years
Lions may become extinct in Kenya within the next 20 years unless urgent action is taken to save them, conservationists warned.
By Mike Pflanz in Nairobi
Published: 1:01AM BST 18 Aug 2009
Kenya is annually losing an average of 100 of its 2,000 lions due to growing human settlements, increasing farming, climate change and disease, according to the Kenya Wildlife Service.“Lions have a special place in Kenyans’ livelihood and conservation efforts,” said Paul Udoto, a spokesman for the organisation.
“Other than being the symbol for national strength, they are among the Big Five, a major attraction for visitors to Kenya.”There were 2,749 lions in Kenya in 2002 and their population dropped to 2,280 by 2004 and to roughly 2,000 today, according to KWS figures.
Asia
Afghan warlord General Dostum returns to boost Karzai’s campaign
From The Times
August 18, 2009
Jeremy Page in Kabul
Eight months ago, it looked as though the controversial era of General Abdul Rashid Dostum, Afghanistan’s ethnic Uzbek warlord, had come to a brutal end.After allegedly beating up a political rival, he disappeared into exile in Turkey. Yet with only three days until Afghanistan’s presidential election, General Dostum, 55, has staged a dramatic return to his homeland as part of a deal to help President Karzai to victory. After landing in Kabul late on Sunday night, he flew by helicopter yesterday to his northern stronghold of Sheberghan, where he was welcomed by 20,000 supporters in the local stadium. “Everyone who supports Karzai, raise your hand!” cried the leader of Afghanistan’s one million Uzbeks on the last day of campaigning.
His followers duly complied.
But elsewhere in Afghanistan, and especially in the international community, people were horrified.
US urges Sri Lanka reconciliation
A senior US diplomat has warned that the Sri Lankan government’s failure to share power with the minority Tamils could lead to renewed violence.
By Anbarasan Ethirajan
BBC News Tuesday, 18 August 2009
Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake told the BBC a delay in devolving powers might create new opportunities for the rebel Tamil Tigers to regroup.Sri Lanka’s government declared victory over the Tamil Tigers three months ago.
Mr Blake also urged Colombo to resettle swiftly the hundreds of thousands of Tamil civilians displaced by the war.
This would have a bearing on US aid for reconstruction and resettlement, he said.
DialogueThe warning by the US assistant secretary of state is a clear sign that Western nations are getting increasingly frustrated with the delay in the political reconciliation process in Sri Lanka.