Romney would owe taxman $5M more under Obama’s plan than under his own tax-cutting vision WASHINGTON (AP) — To see where the presidential candidates stand on taxing the rich, just look at how they’d tax themselves. Under his own proposal, Mitt Romney would pay half what he would under President Barack Obama’s tax plan. For a man of Romney’s means, that could save almost $5 million a year. For Obama, not so loaded as Romney but still well-off, losing re-election could provide a tax windfall. He’d save as much as $90,000 a year if Romney’s plan were enacted rather than his own tax-the-rich vision. Two nonprofit research groups, the liberal-leaning Citizens for Tax Justice and conservative-leaning Tax Foundation, did the calculations, based on the most recent completed tax returns released by the candidates. Compared with what they owed in April, both men would be dinged in 2013 under Obama’s proposal, along with other wealthy taxpayers. They could expect savings under Romney, depending on which tax breaks the former Massachusetts governor decides to oppose. Whether they go up or down, the candidates’ personal tax bills won’t make a dent in the nation’s trillion-dollar annual deficits, of course. But they illustrate a sticking point in the struggle to fix the nation’s finances: Just how much should affluent Americans pony up? Democrats generally say the rich aren’t paying their fair share; most Republicans argue that raising taxes on the wealthy would slow investment that creates jobs. The dispute makes it tougher to tackle urgent budget issues, such as whether to extend the Bush-era tax cuts again before they expire Jan 1. ——— Hanoi opens 3 new sites to search for MIA remains; US-Vietnam exchange artifacts from war HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — The Vietnamese government on Monday agreed to open three new sites in the country for excavation by the United States to search for troop remains from the war, the minister of defense told U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta during a meeting here. The announcement came as Panetta and Vietnam Defense Minister Phung Quang Thanh exchanged long-held artifacts collected during the war — including letters written by a U.S. soldier who was killed that had been kept and used as propaganda, and a small maroon diary belonging to a Vietnamese soldier. A U.S. service member took the journal back to the U.S. During a press briefing, where the two defense chiefs formally handed over the papers, both said their countries want to work together, whether or not the expanded relationship bothers China. Beijing has expressed concern over America’s new defense strategy that puts more focus on the Asia-Pacific region, including plans to increase the number of troops, ships and other military assets in the region. Speaking through an interpreter, Thanh said Vietnam wants to continue defense cooperation with all countries, including stable and longstanding relationships with China and the United States. Hanoi, he said, would not sacrifice relations with one country for another. ——— Search focuses those killed on the ground in Nigeria airplane crash that kill more than 150 LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Emergency workers in Nigeria fought fires and searched for corpses through the night in a neighborhood that an airliner plowed into, killing all 153 on board. Rescue officials said Monday they fear many people may have perished on the ground too. After pilots reported engine trouble, the Boeing MD-83 of Dana Air crashed into businesses and crowded apartment buildings near Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport on Sunday, the worst air disaster in Nigeria in nearly two decades. ‘‘The fear is that since it happened in a residential area, there may have been many people killed,’’ said Yushau Shuaib, a spokesman for Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency. The cause of the crash remained unclear Monday. The pilots radioed to the Lagos control tower just before the crash, reporting engine trouble, a military official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to journalists. Rescue workers searched for the aircraft’s black box recorders where flight data is stored, said Harold Demuren, the director-general of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority. ——— Zimmerman back in Fla. jail; attorney seeking new bond hearing for Trayvon Martin shooter MIAMI (AP) — George Zimmerman’s attorney says he expects to file a motion Monday seeking a new bond hearing for Trayvon Martin’s shooter, who surrendered to authorities in central Florida after a judge revoked his bond. Wearing a button-down checkered shirt, blue jeans and sneakers, a handcuffed Zimmerman was escorted by two deputy sheriffs from a white minivan into the Seminole County jail Sunday afternoon. He did not answer shouted questions from reporters as he was led inside the jail to be booked, photographed and processed. The former neighborhood watch volunteer is charged with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting February of Martin, an unarmed black teenager, in a gated community in Sanford, outside Orlando. Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty, claiming he acted in self-defense. Defense attorney Mark O’Mara carefully chose his words in addressing his next move before Circuit Court Judge Kenneth Lester, who on Friday said he believed Zimmerman and his wife had lied to the court in April about their finances to obtain a lower bond. ‘‘He is in custody now,’’ O’Mara said of Zimmerman, 28. ‘‘He’s going to remain there until we get back before Judge Lester if and when he grants us a bond hearing. It sounded like he might consider it. But that is going to be based upon the motion itself.’’ ——— Concert at the palace and beacons set alight to mark Monday’s Jubilee celebrations LONDON (AP) — The celebration of the 60-year reign of Queen Elizabeth II is ready to rock. A gala concert kicks off at Buckingham Palace on Monday evening with Sir Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney, Dame Shirley Bassey, Sir Cliff Richard and Sir Tom Jones heading the line-up, along with younger artists. Afterward, more than 4,200 beacons are to be set alight in Britain and abroad to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee. One beacon is to be lit in Kenya at the Treetops Hotel, where Elizabeth was informed of her father’s death in 1952, making her the queen. After a drizzly, gray start, the weather looked better Monday morning, with a forecast of some sunshine by the time the concert starts. ——— Stealth destroyer, at over $3 billion apiece, is US Navy’s latest answer to rising China SINGAPORE (AP) — A super-stealthy warship that could underpin the U.S. Navy’s China strategy will be able to sneak up on coastlines virtually undetected and pound targets with electromagnetic ‘‘railguns’’ right out of a sci-fi movie. But at more than $3 billion a pop, critics say the new DDG-1000 destroyer sucks away funds that could be better used to bolster a thinly stretched conventional fleet. One outspoken admiral in China has scoffed that all it would take to sink the high-tech American ship is an armada of explosive-laden fishing boats. With the first of the new ships set to be delivered in 2014, the stealth destroyer is being heavily promoted by the Pentagon as the most advanced destroyer in history — a silver bullet of stealth. It has been called a perfect fit for what Washington now considers the most strategically important region in the world — Asia and the Pacific. Though it could come in handy elsewhere, like in the Gulf region, its ability to carry out missions both on the high seas and in shallows closer to shore is especially important in Asia because of the region’s many island nations and China’s long Pacific coast. ‘‘With its stealth, incredibly capable sonar system, strike capability and lower manning requirements — this is our future,’’ Adm. Jonathan Greenert, chief of naval operations, said in April after visiting the shipyard in Maine where they are being built. ——— World stock markets fall as dismal US hiring sparks fears of slowdown in world’s No. 1 economy BANGKOK (AP) — World markets took a beating Monday as another setback for the U.S. economic recovery sent investors fleeing from stocks. A weak U.S. jobs report flustered investors and intensified fears that a global recession was in the making. The dismal report released Friday came on the heels of other data that showed weak economic conditions in Europe and Asia. Unemployment in the 17 countries that use the euro currency stayed at a record-high 11 percent in April. And there were signs that growth in China, which helped sustain the global economy through the 2008-2009 recession, is slowing significantly. China’s manufacturing weakened in May, according to surveys released Friday. Germany’s DAX lost 1.4 percent to 5,963.41 and France’s CAC-40 shed 0.3 percent to 2,940.33. Markets in Britain were closed for a public holiday. Wall Street appeared headed for a lower open, with Dow Jones industrial futures shedding 0.6 percent to 12,032 while S&P 500 futures lost 0.5 percent to 1,268.40. ——— After Mubarak verdict, justice for victims of Egypt’s old regime still only a distant hope CAIRO (AP) — Tied to a bed, Nasr al-Sayed Hassan Nasr was tortured for days with electric shocks during his 2010 detention for membership in the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood — one of tens of thousands of political prisoners under Hosni Mubarak’s 29-year rule. Stripped and handcuffed in a painful position, Nasr described how security agents shocked his genitals, chest and other bodies parts. ‘‘They hadn’t asked me a single question at this stage. They seemed to just want me to collapse,’’ he told Human Rights Watch. And, as with virtually all the abuses under Mubarak’s regime, the perpetrators were never brought to justice. The mixed verdict in Mubarak’s trial Saturday is a painful reminder that 15 months after the authoritarian leader’s ouster in a popular uprising, there has been no move to bring about full accountability for wrongdoing under his regime. Mubarak, 84, and his ex-security chief Habib el-Adly were both convicted of failing to stop the killings of some 900 protesters during last year’s uprising and were sentenced to life in prison. However, six top police commanders were acquitted of ordering the killings and chief Judge Ahmed Rifaat criticized the prosecution for failing to provide evidence that police killed protesters. ——— 20-year-old Rhode Island cellist named new Miss USA, cites Audrey Hepburn as role model LAS VEGAS (AP) — The nation’s newest Miss USA winner is a Rhode Island cellist who describes herself as a nerd and aspires to be more like Hollywood icon Audrey Hepburn. Olivia Culpo shares Hepburn’s European heritage and dark brown hair and soon they will share something else. Culpo said after winning her crown Sunday night that she plans to go to Tiffany & Co. in New York and recreate Hepburn’s iconic opening scene from ‘‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s.’’ Culpo, a Boston University sophomore, will take a year off from her studies to tackle her duties as Miss USA and represent the nation in the 61st Miss Universe contest in December. The 20-year-old said she wished she could have shared her crown with her 50 competitors during the pageant at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. Culpo strutted across the stage in a lilac bikini, then donned a flowing fuchsia gown with sparkly trim around her waist and dicolletage. After making it to the final five, Culpo voiced her support for transgender beauty queens during the make-or-break interview round. ‘‘Would you feel it would be fair that a transgender woman wins the Miss USA title over a natural-born woman?’’ asked celebrity judge Rob Kardashian. The question came from a pageant follower on Twitter, a first for the competition. ——— Tiger Woods conjures up old self in winning Memorial for 5th time, matching Nicklaus’ 73 wins DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) — For those who thought Tiger Woods’ run as the world’s best golfer was over, the 747-sized roar that emanated from the 16th green at Muirfield Village likely shocked them to their senses. With one flick of his wrists, Woods reminded everyone of who he was and what he has done. Woods slid a 60-degree sand wedge under a ball hidden by tall grass behind the 16th green, popped the ball straight up into the air where it seemed to hang for an instant, and then watched as it rolled ever so slowly toward the cup before dropping in for a 50-foot birdie that tied him for the lead at the Memorial Tournament on Sunday. If that birdie served notice, then another on a sneaky-fast 10-foot downhill putt at the 18th assured him of his fifth victory at the tournament that Jack Nicklaus built. So, Tiger was asked, do you think you’re back?
