Obama open to ‘Modest Modifications’

President Obama said he’s open to “modest modifications” to federal entitlement programs that would require some seniors to pay more for benefits, if the changes are included as part of a compromise plan to reduce the deficit.

“I’ve said that means-testing on Medicare, meaning people like myself,…you can envision a situation where, for somebody in my position, me having to pay a little bit more on premiums or co-pays or things like that would be appropriate,” the President said in response to a question from ABC News. “That could make a difference.”

The President said any negotiation over changes to Medicare, however, should make sure current beneficiaries “as much as possible are not affected” and reiterated his opposition to a more sweeping transformation of the program as favoured by some Republicans.
“I view Social Security and Medicare as the most important social safety nets that we have,” he said. “I think it is important for them to remain as social insurance programs that give people some certainty and reliability in their golden years. But it turns out that making some modest modifications in those entitlements can save you trillions of dollars. And it’s not necessary to completely revamp the program.”

An empire at bay

The latest development in the telephone–hacking scandal is the resignation of two top executives of Rupert Murdoch’s embattled News Corporation media empire.
Les Hinton, one of the top executives of Rupert Murdoch’s embattled News Corporation media empire, has quit.

Hinton was chief executive of Dow Jones, publisher of the Wall Street Journal. Murdoch said the resignation brought him ‘much sadness’.
Rebekah Brooks - chief executive of the media group’s UK newspaper arm, News International also quit on Friday.

Hinton led News International from 1995-2007, when the UK’s News of the World was hacking phones.

Murdoch will apologise for “serious wrongdoings” by the News of the World, in full-page advertisements signed by him, in Britain’s main national newspapers on Saturday.

Hinton worked for News Corp for more than half a century after joining Mr Murdoch’s business as a cub reporter with the Adelaide News in Australia.

In a statement, Hinton said: “I have watched with sorrow from New York as the News of the World story has unfolded. “I have seen hundreds of news reports of both actual and alleged misconduct during the time I was executive chairman of News International and responsible for the company.

Mumbai blasts: Investigators look to CCTV for clues

Indian investigators looking into Wednesday’s blasts in Mumbai have been examining security camera footage for vital clues, media reports say.
An unnamed detective told the state-run DD News that footage from one of the sites revealed “suspicious behaviour of some people”.
The three explosions killed 18 people and injured dozens.

The attacks are the deadliest in India since 2008, when gunmen killed 165 people in a three-day raid in Mumbai.

Home Minister P Chidambaram has said the blasts could have been the work of a “small group” who had “worked in a very clandestine manner”.
No group has said it planted the bombs but suspicion among some officials and analysts has fallen on the Indian Mujahideen, a group which has claimed to have carried out similar attacks in the past.

Investigators who are going through the security camera footage and forensic evidence from the three sites are hoping to get a breakthrough, media reports say.
The biggest explosion occurred at the Opera House business district in the south of the city, in an area known as a hub for diamond traders.

The detective quoted by DD News said footage from the site showed people behaving suspiciously.

“But until we question them or record their statements, we cannot say anything about their involvement,” he added.

“We are calling all those people seen in the footage to get a clear picture of the incident or any details that may help us in the probe.”

China calls on Obama to cancel Dalai Lama meeting

China has complained about US President Barack Obama’s scheduled meeting with exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. China’s foreign ministry urged Obama to cancel the White House engagement, which is expected to last half an hour.

The private discussion is intended to show Obama’s support for Tibet’s identity, the White House said. Obama’s last meeting with the Dalai Lama in February 2010 drew strong condemnation from Beijing.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said in a statement on Saturday: “We firmly oppose any senior foreign government official’s meeting with the Dalai Lama in any way.”