San Francisco  - A medical student who allegedly targeted women advertising erotic services on Craigslist was ordered held without bail Tuesday on charges of murder and kidnapping in a case that has captivated America.

Washington  - US President Barack Obama has not ruled out the possibility of prosecuting officials who drafted the policies allowing harsh interrogation tactics against prisoners in the war on terrorism.

Obama said Tuesday that the decision will be left to the chief of the US Justice Department, Attorney General Eric Holder, about whether those who drafted the policies should be criminally investigated.

Washington  - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinjed's remarks against Israel at a UN racism conference were "appalling and objectionable," and damaging to the prospects of better relations with the United States, President Barack Obama said Tuesday.

During a meeting with Jordanian King Abdullah, Obama responded to Ahmadinejad's comments a day after the Iranian president called Israel a "racist regime" created "under the pretext of Jewish suffering."

US-based software major, Oracle Corporation, on Monday agreed to acquire Nasdaq-listed Sun Microsystems Inc for $7.4 billion at $9.50 per share in an all-cash transaction.

It should be noted that the deal just comes after a week, when IBM's (International Business Machines) plan to buy the maker of Java software fell apart.

Washington  - US President Barack Obama Tuesday called on Israeli and Palestinian leaders to take steps in the coming months to build confidence and establish a foundation for resuming peace talks.

Obama, meeting with Jordanian King Abdullah, said the United States plans to be deeply involved in the peace process to build a better future for Israelis and Palestinians.

"My hope would be that, over the next several months, that you start seeing gestures of good faith on all sides," Obama said.

According to a study from Harvard, universal healthcare coverage could reduce many health disparities in the general population.

The results are a part of the national debate on revamping healthcare to cover uninsured Americans and they showed that health coverage in the form of Medicare eligibility narrowed the health gaps between Americans of different races, ethnicities, and education levels. Previous studies had shown that the people most likely to lack coverage were black, Hispanic, and those with less education.