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24 pages — 2 sections Vol. 112 — No. 271
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Mansour death ups optimism of Afghans By LYNNE O’DONNELL and MIRWAIS KHAN Associated Press
LUONG THAI LINH/Associated Press
PRESIDENT Barack Obama walked past Vietnam’s president, Tran Dai Quang, after a joint press conference today at the International Convention Center in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Obama lifts decades-old arms ban on his first visit to Vietnam By FOSTER KLUG Associated Press
HANOI, Vietnam — U.S. President Barack Obama today lifted a halfcentury-old ban on selling arms to Vietnam, looking to bolster a government seen as a crucial, though flawed partner in a region that he has tried to place at the center of his foreign policy legacy. Obama announced the full removal of the embargo at a news conference where he vowed to leave behind the troubled history between the former war enemies and em-
brace a new era with a young, increasingly prosperous nation. Obama steered clear of harsh condemnation of what critics see as Vietnam’s abysmal treatment of dissidents, describing instead modest progress on rights in the one-party state. Activists said his decision to lift the embargo destroyed the best U.S. leverage for pushing Vietnam on abuse. “At this stage, both sides have established a level of trust and cooperation, including between our militaries, that is reflective of common interests and mutual respect,”
Obama said. “This change will ensure that Vietnam has access to the equipment it needs to defend itself and removes a lingering vestige of the Cold War.” Obama also had more current motivations. His move was the latest step in a yearslong and uneven effort to counter China’s influence in Asia. Obama’s push to deepen defense ties with a neighbor was certain to be eyed with suspicion in Beijing, which has bristled at U.S. engagement in the region and warned officials not to take sides in the heated territorial Continued on Page 4
End-of-life counseling gets boost from Medicare change By MATT SEDENSKY AP National Writer
HACKENSACK, N.J. — The doctor got right down to business after Herbert Diamond bounded in. A single green form before her, she had some questions for the agile 88-yearold: about comas and ventilators, about feeding tubes and CPR, about intense and irreversible suffering. “You want treatments as long as you are going to have good quality of life?” Dr. Manisha Parulekar asked. The retired accountant nodded. “And at that point,” she continued, “you would like to focus more on comfort, right?” There was no hesitation before his soft-spo-
ken reply: “Right.” Scenes like this have been spreading across the U.S. in the months since Medicare started paying for conversations on endof-life planning. Seven years after that very idea spurred fears of “death panels,” supporters hope lingering doubts will fade. “The more and more that that happens, the more patients, families and doctors will become comfortable with it,” said Dr. Joe Rotella, chief medical officer of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. “Any distrust people have about ‘What is this?’ really disappears when patients sit down and find out this is about empowering them.” The Centers for Medi-
care and Medicaid Services quietly tucked the change allowing for payment for end-of-life counseling into a massive package of regulations last summer, with billing permissible as of Jan. 1. To date, CMS has not released any data on how many people have taken part in the sessions, but a survey released last month suggests it may be off to a slow start. Three nonprofits — the California Health Care Foundation, Cambia Health Foundation and John A. Hartford Foundation — fielded a poll of 736 doctors who see patients 65 and older. Only 14 percent said they had already billed Medicare for the Continued on Page 12
KABUL, Afghanistan — The killing of Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Akhtar Mansour in a U.S. drone strike was greeted Sunday by Kabul’s political leadership as a game-changer in efforts to end the long insurgent war plaguing Afghanistan. In a rare show of unity, President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah both welcomed the news of Mansour’s death as the removal of a man who unleashed violence against innocent civilians in Afghanistan and was widely regarded as an obstacle to peace within the militant group. Mansour, believed to be in his 50s, was killed when a U.S. drone fired on his vehicle in the southwestern Pakistan province of Baluchistan, although there were conflicting accounts whether the airstrike occurred Friday or Saturday. He had emerged as the successor to Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar,
whose 2013 death was only revealed last summer. Mansour “engaged in deception, concealment of facts, drug-smuggling and terrorism while intimidating, maiming and killing innocent Afghans,” Ghani said in a statement on his official Twitter account. “A new opportunity presents itself to those Taliban who are willing to end war and bloodshed,” he added. Mansour was “the main figure preventing the Taliban joining the peace process,” said Abdullah, speaking live on television as he chaired a Cabinet meeting. “From the day he took over the Taliban following the death of Mullah Omar, he intensified violence against ordinary citizens, especially in Afghanistan.” Ghani and Abdullah serve in a so-called national unity government brokered by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry following a divisive 2014 election. As president and chief executive, the two rarely see eye-to-eye on even the most important decisions for a country Continued on Page 12
TEARFUL TRIBUTE
CHRIS PIZZELLO/Invision
MADONNA PERFORMED a tribute to Prince, pictured onscreen, at Sunday’s Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas. See story on Page 21.
Egypt sends submarine to hunt for crashed jet’s black boxes By HAMZA HENDAWI and AHMED HATEM Associated Press
CAIRO — Egypt sent a submarine Sunday to join the hunt for the flight recorders from the EgyptAir jetliner that crashed in the Mediterranean and killed all 66 people aboard, while hundreds
of Coptic Christian mourners filled a church in Cairo to pray for their relatives among the dead. Mounting evidence pointed to a sudden and dramatic catastrophe that led to Thursday’s crash of Flight 804 from Paris to Cairo, although Egyptian President AbdelFattah el-Sissi said it “will take time” to establish what happened
aboard the Airbus A320. In his first public comments since the crash, el-Sissi cautioned against premature speculation. “It is very, very important to us to establish the circumstances that led to the crash of that aircraft,” el-Sissi said in remarks broadcast live on Egyptian TV. “There is not one scenario that we
can exclusively subscribe to. ... All scenarios are possible.” A submarine belonging to the Oil Ministry was headed to the site about 180 miles north of the Egyptian port of Alexandria to join the search, el-Sissi said. The vessel can operate at a depth of 9,800 feet, he said. After starting his comments
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48 76 Partly cloudy tonight. Mostly cloudy Tuesday. Page 2
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Obituaries on Page 4 CAMPBELL, Edna, 95, Indiana PETERSON, Allen J., 89, formerly of Conemaugh Township REED, Charles “Chuck” Robert, 73, Marion Center
with a minute of silence to remember the victims, he thanked the nations that have joined Egyptian ships and aircraft in the search. Beside Egypt, ships and planes from Britain, Cyprus, France, Greece and the United States are taking part in the search for the Continued on Page 12
DIFFERING VIEW Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is breaking with the Obama administration and House lawmakers over a plan to restructure Puerto Rico’s $70 billion in debt. Page 3
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