U.S. & WORLD NEWS DIGEST | Obama raises concerns on China

Obama raises concerns on China

WASHINGTON

President Barack Obama and top members of his administration raised pointed concerns Monday about Beijing’s recent security crackdown on democracy advocates during the first day of high-level talks between the two nations.

Obama, meeting with the leaders of a large official Chinese delegation, voiced his concerns about the situation in China, the White House said in a statement.

The president “underscored his support for the universal human rights of freedom of expression and worship and of access to information and political participation,” the White House said in a statement after Obama’s meeting with Vice Premier Wang Qishan and State Counselor Dai Bingguo.

Gingrich running for president

ATLANTA

Newt Gingrich, the House speaker who led a national GOP resurgence in the 1990s before facing ethics questions and resigning, is running for president.

Gingrich’s announcement, made on social networking websites Monday, came after months of public flirting with a bid. He enters a slow-to-form GOP presidential field that has left some Republicans craving more options as they search for a nominee strong enough to credibly challenge President Barack Obama.

Samoa to shift back west of dateline

WELLINGTON, New Zealand

The South Pacific island nation of Samoa announced plans Monday to jump forward in time by one day by switching to the west side of the international dateline — 119 years after it moved the other way in a bid to boost its trade and economy.

Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi cited the same reasons for shifting back, saying moving forward a day will make doing business with key partners Australia and New Zealand “far, far easier and more convenient.”

The move will see the independent Polynesian nation share the same date and a similar time as its Pacific neighbors, including Australia and New Zealand.

Combat rages on Libyan front line

BENGHAZI, Libya

Rebels battled Moammar Gadhafi’s forces Monday on a deadlocked front line in eastern Libya and welcomed the first supply ship in five days to reach the besieged western port city of Misrata.

The heavy fighting was reported south of Ajdabiya, a rebel-held town about 90 miles south of Benghazi, the rebel headquarters in the east.

Hundreds of rebels gathered at a checkpoint outside Ajdabiya on Monday afternoon.

The rebels, firing their weapons into the air as they shouted and danced, said they had been told that NATO was going to launch airstrikes at Gadhafi’s forces and they had been ordered to withdraw temporarily from the front.

Vets oppose rise in health-care fees

WASHINGTON

Health-care fees for working-age military retirees would increase slightly under a defense bill unveiled Monday that drew fierce opposition from the 2.1 million-strong Veterans of Foreign Wars.

The Pentagon is reeling from health-care costs that have jumped from $19 billion in 2001 to $53 billion in the latest budget request. Determined to slash expenses, President Barack Obama is seeking a boost in fees that have remained unchanged for 11 years.

Associated Press