NewswireToday (newswire) – 08/02/2010 Bethlehem, PA United States – BFTP/NEP’s goal is to help lead northeastern Pennsylvania to a better economic future by building partnerships that develop and apply technology for competitive advantage

The rest is here:
Ben Franklin to Invest $304.100 in Regional Economic Development

In a new paper released today , entitled “How the Great Recession Was Brought to an End,” prominent economists Alan Blinder and Mark Zandi say that the stimulus, stress tests, emergency Federal Reserve maneuvers and Troubled Asset Relief Program saved the economy from collapse. Without those extraordinary measures, they say, the United States’ GDP would be 6.5 percent lower, the unemployment rate would be 3 percentage points higher, there would be 8.5 million fewer jobs and the economy would be experiencing deflation. Blinder is a professor at Princeton and a former Fed official. Zandi is the chief economist at Moody’s Analytics and a former adviser to Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) presidential campaign. The economists also note that the stimulus — the $787 billion American Reinvestment and Recovery Act — had less impact and proved less important than the government’s monetary policy and financial-market stabilization measures, like the Fed buy-up of mortgage-backed securities. Zandi and Blinder write: It is understandable that the still-fragile economy and the massive budget deficits have fueled criticism of the government’s response. No one can know for sure what the world would look like today if policymakers had not acted as they did — our estimates are just that, estimates. It is also not difficult to find fault with isolated aspects of the policy response. While all of these questions deserve careful consideration, it is clear that laissez faire was not an option; policymakers had to act. Not responding would have left both the economy and the government’s fiscal situation in far graver condition. We conclude that [Federal Reserve Chairman] Ben Bernanke was probably right when he said that “We came very close in October [2008] to Depression 2.0.”

Read more:
Zandi, Blinder: Government Saved the Economy

The IMF raised its 2010 world growth forecast to 4.6% from 4.1% in April and boosted estimates for the United States and China

Read the original:
IMF raises world growth forecast but risks rising

Tech Jackal Scam alert for Medicare recipients Tech Jackal A check will be sent to these recipients in the amount of $250 each month, until the gap is closed. There are no forms to fill out for the check . … Medicare Recipients Target of New Scam Consumer Affairs Medicare rebates lead to fraud alert Seattle Times Drug Rebate Is Mailed Out TopNews United States WatertownDailyTimes.com all 18 news articles

NewswireToday (newswire) – 06/10/2010 Phoenix, AZ United States – Local First Arizona economic study finds half-billion dollar annual impact from newly privatized SCF Arizona

Continue reading here:
Privatized SCF Arizona Impacts Arizona Economy by Nearly Half Billion

The May jobs number is out, and at first blush it looks good. The economy added 431,000 jobs in May and the unemployment rate tracked down to 9.7 percent. But the report, in reality, is terrible, another sign of the long-standing crisis of joblessness in the United States. Economists were hoping that the private sector would add between 100,000 and 200,000 jobs. But private employers expanded their payrolls by a measly 41,000 positions. That is simply not enough: The United States needs to add 100,000 to 150,000 jobs a month just to keep pace with population growth, and jobs need to grow a lot faster than that to make a dent in the headline unemployment rate. Fifteen million Americans are unemployed, several million of whom have been out of work for more than six months and more than one million of whom have been out of work for two years . Again, crisis is the appropriate word. Politicians might try to spin this. This morning Christina Romer, the head of the administration’s Council of Economic Advisers, wrote on the White House blog that today’s report “shows continued signs of labor market recovery.” She posted this chart, where the trends do look good. But if you take that right-most blue bar — which shows job growth — and take out the temporary census jobs, it’s barely existent. And once the census is over, those jobs are gone. Washington has not run out of options to tackle the unemployment crisis. The government could expand, directly hiring workers. (As the census demonstrates, when the government hires workers, unemployment goes down.) It could push tax incentives and stimulus, so that Americans spend more and companies decide to hire more workers. It could take up Rep. George Miller’s (D-Calif.) Local Jobs for America Act , providing $75 billion to local governments to keep employees on the payroll. Or it could have considered Sen. Tom Harkin’s (D-Iowa) proposal to grant $23 billion to keep public school teachers in their classrooms, the Keep Our Educators Working Act. Both of those bills would have preserved or created local government jobs, and a spate of other congressional initiatives are aimed at private-sector hiring. But the issue at this point is not ideas, but will. Congress has simply lost its appetite for expensive job-saving or job-creating programs given the deficit. That does not mean the economy won’t recover. It will. But it means that unemployment will continue to lag behind the recovery, sustaining severe hardship for families and individuals.

Read the original here:
Unemployment Remains in a State of Crisis

The evy is backed by the United States and Europe but opposed by developing nations plus Canada and Australia, who say their banks did not trigger the 2008-9 crisis and should not have to pay for cleaning up the mess

Continued here:
India sees no firm deal on bank levy in Busan

To discourage businesses from outsourcing their operator services, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) is proposing legislation to tax businesses that set up help lines overseas. The levy, under Schumer’s bill, would be a quarter-cent per call. Reuters reports : Customers calling 800 numbers are often transferred overseas, and in such cases the bill would mandate that callers be told where their calls were rerouted. Companies would also be required to certify to the Federal Trade Commission annually that they were complying with the requirement, and face penalties if they did not certify. “This bill will not only serve to maintain call center jobs currently in the United States, but also provide a reason for companies that have already outsourced jobs to bring them back,” Schumer said in statement. And that might be true, but don’t expect the investor class to jump on board. (And don’t expect Wall Street, which Schumer represents, to be pleased either.)

See more here:
Schumer Wants to Tax Businesses Using Overseas Call Centers

The 10-page draft, agreed by the United States, Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia after months of negotiations, also calls for international inspection of vessels suspected of carrying cargo related to Iran’s nuclear or missile programs

See more here:
Big powers agree on Iran sanctions draft

Global Toronto Canada Post to Alert Against Email Scam TopNews United States Canada Post further informs that in case a tracking number is facilitaed in the email, one can check separately at the agency's website. … Canada Post warns of email scam Montreal Gazette Canada Post warns about e-mail scam Toronto Sun Computer virus posing as Canada Post email News1130 CTV.ca all 50 news articles

NewswireToday (newswire) – 04/26/2010 Bethlehem, PA United States – Ben Franklin promotes, sustains and invests in the transformation of our regional economy through innovation and partnering

Read more from the original source:
Ben Franklin to Invest $393,146 in Economic Development

Beware of the Latest Check Scam U.S. News & World Report (blog) The check , of course, would later bounce. PCH says it is working with law enforcement in the United States and Canada to shut down the scam artists, …

Go here to read the rest:
Beware of the Latest Check Scam – U.S. News & World Report (blog)

California Woman Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement Scam , Tax Evasion Ethiopian Review SAN FRANCISCO—Lily C. Aspillera pleaded guilty to mail fraud and tax evasion in federal court today, United States Attorney Joseph P. Russoniello announced …

More here:
California Woman Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement Scam, Tax Evasion – Ethiopian Review

Police warn of scam WYMT The check , although looking valid, is in fact worthless. The scam appears to be originating from outside the United States and utilizes US company names and … and more

Today, an Economist /YouGov poll making the rounds shows that Americans would vastly prefer budget cuts to new taxes — by 62 percent to 5 percent. The poll goes on to ask Americans which government spending programs they would choose to cut: “If government spending is reduced in order to balance the budget, which of the following government programs should receive lower federal funding than they currently do?” (Respondents could pick more than one thing to axe.) Here is how they responded: The most expendable programs, according to poll takers, were mass transit, housing, agriculture, environment and foreign aid, the runaway winner at 71 percent. The problem? These programs together barely comprise 3 percent of the federal budget. Even if the programs were entirely eliminated, the cuts would do nothing to solve the United States’ long-term entitlement program.  Indeed, the responses had no obvious correlation with spending size. The red bars in this graph indicate expenditures in the various areas: The poll highlights the conundrum: Americans want to solve the long-term deficit program and want the federal government to run a balanced budget. They are willing to make budget cuts. But the government cannot cut enough from discretionary programs to bring the budget into check and ultimately to reduce the deficit. ( Half of Americans still believe the government can.) Entitlement programs — Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security — are at the heart of the problem, with spending growth in health care programs the single biggest culprit. The lone solution — save for politically improbable radical spending cuts to defense, health care programs and social security — is tax hikes. Most economists agree on the point, reiterated strongly by Fed Chair Ben Bernanke in a speech yesterday. But the promise of tax increases is hardly a savvy campaign platform, and it will be up to members of Congress to sell the necessity and prudence of tax hikes to an economically distressed citizenry.

Originally posted here:
The Futility of Budget Cuts

NewswireToday (newswire) – 04/06/2010 Scottsdale, AZ United States – Build Your Wealth announced today that they have launched a new website

Continue reading here:
Build Your Wealth Inaugurates Brand New Website

CID warns of Internet romance scams United States Army (press release) If you do start an Internet-based relationship with someone, check them out, research what they are telling you with someone who would know, … and more

Telegraph.co.uk Two Computer Programmers Convicted of Substantial Fraud TopNews United States Jerome O'Hara, 47, and George Perez, 44 have been accused of developing computer programs used in Madoff's deceptive investment -advisory trade. … Bernard Madoff's NJ employee is indicted for allegedly falsifying records in … The Star-Ledger – NJ.com Madoff Beat up in Prison, According to WSJ Hedge Fund Net Madoff Backlash: 1 Beaten, 2 Indicted Securities Industry News (subscription) all 281 news articles

NewswireToday (newswire) – 03/08/2010 Orlando, FL United States – Legal professionals are finding ways to set themselves apart from their competition. The Azam Law Firm of Lake Mary, Florida, is one of the firms using a flat fee rate rather than hourly billing for legal representation

Read this article:
Law Firms Abandon Hourly Billing for Flat Fees

New Zealand Herald Madoff Scandal Whistleblower Comes Up With New Memoir Thaindian.com Anticipation is running high about the book as it includes intrinsic details about Harry Markopolos' investigation into the Madoff investment fraud which is … Judge's decision deals another blow to angry Madoff investors Palm Beach Post Madoff whistle-blower: 'No One Would Listen' msnbc.com Madoff Investors Demand Punishment for DiPascali ABC News TopNews United States

G20 countries had been coordinating efforts to create a strong banking landscape, but the United States and other countries have also put forward separate proposals

Read the original post:
IMF head urges co-ordinatated action on bank reform

NewswireToday (newswire) – 02/17/2010 Los Angeles, CA United States – Entertainment, international trade and tourism cited as regional industry leaders, with an economic boost from major infrastructure projects and a modest rebound in residential real estate measured economic recovery is underway in the nation

Link:
New Forecast Report Says U.S. California and Southern California Sees Measured Recovery

Two data points that are almost certainly connected. First : Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian man accused of trying to blow up a jetliner bound for Detroit on Dec. 25, started talking to investigators after two of his family members arrived in the United States and helped earn his cooperation, a senior administration official said Tuesday evening. And second : America’s top intelligence official told lawmakers on Tuesday that Al Qaeda and its affiliates had made it a high priority to attempt a large-scale attack on American soil within the next six months. The assessment by Dennis C. Blair, the director of national intelligence, was much starker than his view last year, when he emphasized the considerable progress in the campaign to debilitate Al Qaeda and said that the global economic meltdown, rather than the prospect of a major terrorist attack, was the “primary near-term security concern of the United States.” No threat determination like that is ever the result of one line of intelligence. But it’s impossible to believe Abdulmutallab’s resumed cooperation — the subject of heavy administration pushback to its critics, as Josh Marshall observes , after two weeks of attack following Blair’s disastrous congressional testimony — did not inform the assessment. The Times: Another federal official said Mr. Abdulmutallab had provided information about people he met in Yemen, where he is believed to have receiving training and explosives from Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, a branch of the terrorist network. “He’s retracing his activities over there,” said the official, who would discuss the case only on the condition of anonymity. “You run to ground what he tells you, validate it and follow up. You build a relationship. It’s a pretty standard process.” And that cooperation would not have come without Abdulmutallab’s family trying to get him the best deal they can from federal prosecutors. Welcome to a law-enforcement-informed approach to terrorism.

Read more here:
This Threat Warning, Brought to You by the U.S. Law Enforcement Community

The national security adviser didn’t say anything new during his afternoon talk to the Center for American Progress about reconciliation with the Taliban. Jim Jones pledged an “open door” for “those who would abandon violence” and “respect the rights of fellow citizens.” Those are parameters for negotiation, not a focus on personalities, in other words. Asked by Jon Landay of McClatchy about hypothetical negotiations with Mullah Omar as Jones headed to the elevators, Jones responded, “We’re pursuing a general strategy of engagement and we’ll see where that takes us.” But he expressed some dismay about the Pakistani military’s announcement that it won’t pursue al-Qaeda in North Waziristan during the next year . “The speed with which we are able to achieve our goals in Afghanistan has a relationship to the willingness of Pakistan to take on the safe havens that exist in the border region,” Jones said. He added that the administration is trying to get Pakistan to see the “urgency of the moment” for Afghanistan, Pakistan and “the region itself.” Convincing the Pakistanis of that urgency requires persuading them that the United States is ready, for the long haul, to promote Pakistan’s legitimate interests.

Read more:
Jim Jones Wants Pakistanis to See the ‘Urgency of the Moment’

Mark Leon Goldberg has a wonderful Daily Beast piece about the Haiti that the U.S. rarely sees: the functioning society that arduously got built in the 1990s and 2000s, only to be ravaged by manmade and now natural disaster. This is Haiti’s tragedy: Just as the trend lines shift in the right direction, calamity strikes. But even with our limited and early information, the January 12, 2010 quake seems beyond comparison. Hospitals have crumbled and city blocks are flattened. Even the presidential palace, which presumably would be among the sturdiest of buildings, has caved in on itself. This is clearly a scary time for Haiti. Still, Haitians can take some comfort in its unique relationship with the United States. For one, the country has a champion in the husband of the current secretary of state. In May 2009, former President Bill Clinton was appointed a UN Special Envoy to Haiti, meaning that even as the public’s focus turns away from Haiti in the coming weeks, he will remain a high profile advocate for reconstruction. Also, a large and politically active Haitian Diaspora community in the United States ensures that Congress will keep an eye on Haiti’s progress. I grew up in a Brooklyn neighborhood with a large Haitian population, so I got a flavor of Haitian culture at a young age. It’s distressing that American cameras are only interested in a Caribbean neighbor with such close and historical ties to the U.S. when disaster strikes.

Continued here:
Haiti, In Between The Crises

NewswireToday (newswire) – 01/08/2010 Skokie, IL United States – Despite job losses, labor conditions improve better than forecasted

Visit link:
Labor Data Points to Beginning of Job Creation Process

Chinese Looking in America, but Not Buying New York Times Direct investment by Chinese companies in the United States grew to $1.2 billion in 2008 from $385 million in 2002, a 220 percent increase, government data … and more

All day, we’re re-running our favorite blog posts of the last year. This post was originally published on March 4, 2009. The Senate Judiciary Committee’s “Getting to the Truth Through a Nonpartisan Commission of Inquiry” convened this morning to consider Sen. Patrick Leahy’s (D-Vt.) proposal for a sort of “truth and reconciliation” commission. The hearing was full of all the predictable, lofty statements from illustrious supporters about why a commission would further the American people’s understanding of our nation’s past and true values, and also demonstrate to the world our commitment to truth and justice — most of which I agree with. But what was most surprising was that the Senate Republicans and their witnesses, in the process of ripping apart the idea, made the strongest case I’ve heard yet for why the Department of Justice should prosecute former senior officials of the Bush administration. Sen. Arlen Specter, the ranking committee Republican, after noting his previous support for judicial review of the Bush administration’s terrorist surveillance program, referred to the recent disclosures of Office of Legal Counsel memos as potentially supporting the case for prosecutions. “You’ve had some rather startling disclosures, with the publicity in recent days about unusual—to put it mildly—legal opinions” to justify broad executive actions, including homicide. “They’re all being exposed now,” he said, and noted that a forthcoming report from the Office of Professional Responsibility in the Justice Department will likely expose even more. They’re “starting to tread on what may disclose criminal conduct,” he said. Rather than going off “helter-skelter” and conducting a “fishing expedition,” said Specter, “it seems to me that we ought to follow a regular order here … If there’s reason to believe that these justice department officials have given approval for things that they know not to be lawful and sound, go after them.” The witnesses called to present the Republican opposition to Leahy’s proposal made the same point. David Rivkin, a former Justice Department official in the Reagan and first Bush administrations and now a partner at the law firm Baker & Hostetler, said a truth commission “is a profoundly bad idea, a dangerous idea, both for policy and for me as a lawyer for legal and constitutional reasons.” Objecting that Congress would be improperly delegating its oversight power, and that witnesses would be called out for criminal conduct without the right to defend themselves in a trial, he said: “this is to establish a body to engage in what in essence is a criminal investigation of former Bush administration officials,” and that “the subject matter areas, which such a commission would investigate – among them the interrogation and handling of captured enemy combatants and the gathering of electronic intelligence – are heavily regulated by comprehensive criminal statutes, and ensures that the commission’s activities would inevitably invade areas traditionally the responsibility of the Department of Justice.” Jeremy Rabkin, a law professor at George Mason University who also opposes Leahy’s idea, similarly insisted that in the United States, where we have a fully developed legal system, prosecutions — not truth commissions — are the appropriate course. A truth commission is something that countries like South Africa and Chile have had, not something we should do here, he said. “In those countries they had to have commissions because they couldn’t have prosecutions. Peace was really in doubt in those countries … they had to trade off prosecutions for peace. We’re not in that situation. If people think we need to have prosecutions, we should have prosecutions.” Proponents of the truth commission idea, meanwhile, while not ruling out the idea of prosecutions, saw a truth commission as serving a different, and broader, purpose. But it was surprising that, at a hearing cautiously called to discuss “a nonpartisan commission of inquiry,” we heard the strongest case yet for the prosecution of former Bush administration officials — being made by Republicans.

Read the original here:
Best of 2009: Republicans Make Case for Prosecuting Bush Officials

In an appearance on “Democracy Now!” yesterday morning to discuss Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab , I made the point that Abdulmutallab’s ability to board Northwest Airlines Flight 253 demonstrates a policy failure more than an intelligence failure. By that I meant that the threat information acquired on Abdulmutallab was insufficient to ground him, based on the bureaucracy’s process for placing someone on the no-fly list . And for seemingly good reason: the input on him leading to the conclusion that he was dangerous was his father’s Nov. 19 appeal to officials at the U.S. embassy in Abuja. As investigation into the case continues, there’s some new information that complicates that picture. First, the CIA, after hearing his father’s concern, compiled a profile of Abdulmutallab consisting of non-specific information, but apparently declined to share it with the National Counterterrorism Center . And the National Security Agency picked up communications from al-Qaeda’s Yemeni affiliate indicating that the group was looking to use a “Nigerian” in an unspecified terrorist attack, according to The New York Times . That also didn’t go to the NCTC. New information may surface. But based on this, is it really fair to point the finger at the intelligence community here? Abdulmutallab’s father told embassy officials in Abuja that he didn’t know where his son was, but might be in Yemen. The CIA had that information. NSA has information that a Nigerian might be used for an attack sponsored by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. If all of this had gone into the NCTC, would someone have put two and two together — setting off the process for pulling Abdulmutallab’s visa or putting him on the no-fly? Maybe. And the rationale for the all-source, multi-agency NCTC is all about intelligence sharing. But remember: the inputs are that the guy’s dad says he’s dangerous; he’s Nigerian; he might be in Yemen; and al-Qaeda in Yemen may be looking to use a Nigerian in a forthcoming attack. Is that really enough? The answer to that question most certainly requires a policy decision, not an intelligence decision. The intelligence community is drinking from a fire hose of data, a lot of it much more specific than what was acquired on Abdulmutallab. If policymakers decide that these thin reeds will be the standard for stopping someone from entering the United States, then they need to change the process to enshrine that in the no-fly system. But it will make it much harder for people who aren’t threatening to enter, a move that will ripple out to effect diplomacy, security relationships (good luck entering the U.S. for a military-to-military contact program if, say, you’re a member of the Sunni Awakening in Iraq, since you had contacts with known extremists), international business and trade, and so on. Are we prepared for that? Similarly, there’s a reasonable issue to investigate about intelligence-sharing processes even in the pre-specific-threat level. But remember: that just increases the firehose of data NCTC must process. Information is supposed to filter up to NCTC in strength and specificity from the component intelligence agencies so that NCTC isn’t overwhelmed. If we want to say that there should be a lower standard for sharing with NCTC, fine. But then either NCTC needs to be given more resources, or we risk missing the next Abdulmutallab because NCTC’s analysts will be drowning in nonspecific data and trying to rope it to flotillas of additional information. It’s reasonable to ask, however, what the CIA did post-Nov. 19 to investigate Abdulmutallab specifically. But it’s also important to remember that barely a month passed between his father’s warning and Flight 253. None of this is to excuse any complacency. It’s to provide context for evaluating whatever complacency occurred.

Follow this link:
Is This Really an Intelligence Failure? Real Talk on Abdulmutallab

After eight years of a do-nothing, industry-cozy Environmental Protection Agency, green activists had high hopes for the new EPA administrator, appointed by a president who put climate policy near the top of his agenda. They soon had to lower their expectations, as Jackson took a hesitant and incremental approach to rolling back the highly controversial — and destructive — practice of mountaintop coal mining. But for all its wavering, the EPA took a truly historic step on Dec. 7 when it issued its long-awaited endangerment finding , which concluded that rising greenhouse gas levels posed a public health threat and enabled the agency to regulate these gases. Few expect Jackson to bear down on carbon emissions with a heavy hand, but her action served two important purposes: It showed international negotiators at the climate talks in Copenhagen that the United States was serious about cutting its emissions; and, more importantly, it put pressure on Congress to pass a comprehensive climate bill on its own terms. Next — 4. Phil Jones

Original post:
5. Lisa Jackson

The Department of Justice this morning announced that twelve detainees have been transferred from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay to Afghanistan, Yemen and the Somaliland region. Here’s the announcement, with the names of the detainees, which had previously been withheld : As directed by the President’s Jan. 22, 2009 Executive Order, the interagency Guantanamo Review Task Force conducted a comprehensive review of each of these cases. As a result of that review, which examined a number of factors, including potential threat, mitigation measures and the likelihood of success in habeas litigation, the detainees were approved for transfer. In accordance with Congressionally-mandated reporting requirements, the Administration informed Congress of its intent to transfer the detainees at least 15 days before their transfer. Over the weekend, four Afghan detainees, Abdul Hafiz, Sharifullah, Mohamed Rahim and Mohammed Hashim, were transferred to the Government of Afghanistan. In addition, two Somali detainees, Mohammed Soliman Barre and Ismael Arale, were transferred to regional authorities in Somaliland. Finally, six Yemeni detainees, Jamal Muhammad Alawi Mari, Farouq Ali Ahmed, Ayman Saeed Abdullah Batarfi, Muhammaed Yasir Ahmed Taher, Fayad Yahya Ahmed al Rami and Riyad Atiq Ali Abdu al Haf, were transferred to the Government of Yemen. These transfers were carried out under individual arrangements between the United States and relevant foreign authorities to ensure the transfers took place under appropriate security measures. Consultations with foreign authorities regarding these individuals will continue. Since 2002, more than 560 detainees have departed Guantanamo Bay for other destinations, including Albania, Algeria, Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Belgium, Bermuda, Chad, Denmark, Egypt, France, Hungary Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Maldives, Mauritania, Morocco, Pakistan, Palau, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Sudan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Uganda, United Kingdom and Yemen.

Originally posted here:
U.S. Transfers 12 Detainees Out of Gitmo

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton breathed new life into the floundering climate talks in Copenhagen this morning with a surprise announcement that the United States would work to help raise $100 billion a year by 2020 to help developing countries address the threat of climate change. “Today I’d like to announce that, in the context of a strong accord in which all major economies stand behind meaningful mitigation actions and provide full transparency as to their implementation, the United States is prepared to work with other countries toward a goal of jointly mobilizing $100 billion a year by 2020 to address the climate change needs of developing countries,” Clinton told the climate negotiators. “We expect this funding will come from a wide variety of sources, public and private, bilateral and multilateral, including alternative sources of finance.” The announcement revitalized the negotiations, after Chinese recalcitrance and other disagreements had threatened to derail them. “Hold tight,” said Yvo de Boer , the United Nations’ climate chief. “Mind the doors. The cable car is moving again.” But as Brad Plumer points out , there are still two big hurdles to overcome before the $100 billion in aid becomes a reality: Chinese cooperation and congressional approval.

See the rest here:
Clinton’s Surprise Announcement Injects New Hope Into Copenhagen Talks

EU ministers, leaders say talks in “serious trouble”; top two emitters China and United States blamed for breakdown of talk

Link:
Copenhagen climate talks in trouble, blame begins

Detainees U.S. Government 32 9 Below is a list of the Guantanamo habeas corpus cases in which the detainee won. Information compiled by Pro Publica and David Remes, legal director of Appeal for Justice. Click here to see the 21 detainees who have been released. Click here to see the 11 detainees who are still in custody. Released Abdul Ghappar Abdul Rahman Nationality: Chinese (Uighur) Circumstances of Capture: Captured in December 2001 by Pakistani civilians, handed over to Pakistani authorities, transferred to US military for $5,000. Summary of Allegations: The government alleged that he was affiliated with a Uighur (Chinese ethnic minority) independence group know as the East Turkistan Islamic Movement, from which he received weapons training. ETIM was alleged to be associated with al-Qaeda and the Taliban and engaged in hostilities against the U.S. and allies. Status: Determined by government to be eligible for release August 2003. Federal trial judge ordered Rahman released Oct. 8, 2008. The government appealed, and judge’s release order was blocked by D.C. federal appeals court. He was transferred to Palau on Oct. 31, 2009. In October, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the Uighurs’ appeal of their case. Reason for Court’s Decision: The D.C. federal appeals court decided on June 20, 2008, that the government had failed to present enough reliable evidence to prove key allegations — that ETIM was linked to al-Qaeda and the Taliban, and that ETIM was hostile to the U.S.” Court Documents: Trial Court Decision Status Report Court Transcript Dawut Abdurehim Nationality: Chinese (Uighur) Circumstances of Capture: Captured December 2001 in Pakistan by Pakistani civilians, handed over to Pakistani authorities, then transferred to U.S. military for$5,000. Summary of Allegations: The government alleged that he was affiliated with a Uighur (Chinese ethnic minority) independence group know as the East Turkistan Islamic Movement, from which he received weapons training. ETIM was alleged to be associated with al-Qaeda and the Taliban and engaged in hostilities against the U.S. and allies. Status: Determined by government to be eligible for release August 2003. Federal trial judge ordered Abdurehim released Oct. 8, 2008, but the government appealed, and the release order was blocked by the D.C. federal appeals court. He was transferred to Palau on Oct. 31, 2009. In October, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the Uighurs’ appeal of their case. Reason for Court’s Decision: The D.C. federal appeals court decided on June 20, 2008, that the government had failed to present enough reliable evidence to prove key allegations — that ETIM was linked to al-Qaeda and the Taliban, and that ETIM was hostile to the U.S.” Court Documents: Trial Court Decision Government Allegations Status Report Court Transcript Abdulrahim Abdul Razak Al Janko Nationality: Syrian Circumstances of Capture: Captured by U.S. forces in January 2002 in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Summary of Allegations: The government alleged that, in early 2000, Janko spent five days at a Taliban guesthouse and trained for 18 days at a Qaeda military camp. Status: Judge found Janko eligible for release June 22, 2009. He has since been transferred to a foreign nation, but the government will not specify which nation or reveal the date of transfer. Reason for Court’s Decision: Judge found Janko eligible for release June 22, 2009, but the government continues to hold him at Guantanamo. Janko was eligible for release, the judge said, because by the time of his arrest in 2002 he should not have been considered to be part of the Taliban or al-Qaeda. The evidence showed that he’d been tortured by al-Qaeda and imprisoned for 18 months by the Taliban in an infamously “horrific” prison. Court Documents: Trial Court Decision Government allegations Khalid Abdullah Mishal Al Mutairi Nationality: Kuwaiti Circumstances of Capture: Captured near Pakistan-Afghanistan border in November 2001 Summary of Allegations: The government alleged that Al Mutairi was a part of al-Qaeda or of a force associated with al-Qaeda, because, among other claims, he’d attended a training camp believed to be affiliated with al-Qaeda. Status: On July 29, 2009, judge ordered the government to “take all necessary and appropriate steps to facilitate Al Mutairi’s release forthwith.” He was transferred to Kuwait on Oct. 13, 2009. Reason for Court’s Decision: The judge concluded that “there is nothing in the record beyond speculation” to prove the government’s allegations. Intelligence reports were too impreciseand needed corroborating proof, she said. For instance, “one reference, in a portion of one sentence, in one interrogation report,” was not enough to prove Al Mutairi had attended a terrorist training camp, because the report didn’t clearly identify him. She rejected one self-incriminating statement from an interrogation of Al Mutairi because “he appears to have been goaded into making these statements.” Court Documents: Trial Court Decision Government Allegations Alla Bin Ali Ahmed Nationality: Yemeni Circumstances of Capture: Captured March 2002 at a guesthouse for Yemenis in Faisalabad, Pakistan. Summary of Allegations: The government alleged that Ali Ahmed had traveled and stayed with al-Qaeda and/or Taliban members in Afghanistan, and that he’d fought and trained in Afghanistan. Status: Judge found Ali Ahmed eligible for release May 11, 2009. He was transferred to Yemen on September 26, 2009. Reason for Court’s Decision: Judge concluded that the government had failed to present reliable evidence proving its allegations, and that certain alleged conduct — such as traveling in the company of terrorists and staying at a suspect guesthouse — wouldn’t be enough to detain Ali Ahmed even if proved. Court Documents: Trial Court Decision Court Transcript Fouad Mahmoud Al Rabiah Nationality: Kuwaiti Circumstances of Capture: Captured near the Afghanistan/Pakistan border in Dec. 2001. Summary of Allegations: The government alleged that Rabiah “provided material support to the Taliban and al Qaida,” meeting with bin Laden four times in July 2001 and delivering money to him. Status: Judge ordered release Sept. 17, 2009. Rabiah was transferred to Kuwait on Dec. 9, 2009. Reason for Court’s Decision: Judge ordered release Sept. 17, 2009. The judge found that the evidence against Rabiah consisted “almost exclusively on Rabiah’s ‘confessions,’” which even Rabiah’s interrogators concluded were “not believable.” Court Documents: Trial Court Decision Government allegationst Hadj Boudella Nationality: Algerian Circumstances of Capture: Arrested by Bosnian authorities in October 2001 on suspicion of plotting to bomb the U.S. embassy in Sarajevo. Cleared for release January 2002, but transported to Guantanamo at request of U.S. military. Summary of Allegations: The government mainly alleged that he’d planned to travel to Afghanistan in late 2001 to fight the U.S. and allied forces.Also that he associated with al-Qaeda and other suspected terrorists and that he’d worked for a Qaeda-affiliated organization that provided material support to terrorists. Status: Judge ordered release Nov. 20, 2008. Boudella was transferred to Bosnia and Herzegovina Dec. 16, 2008. Reason for Court’s Decision: Judge decided the government failed to prove its allegations by a preponderance (majority) of the evidence. “[T]he Government relies exclusively on the information contained in a classified document from an unnamed source,” wrote the judge. This single piece of evidence “is not sufficient” to prove the legality of detention, he said. Court Documents: Trial Court Decision Government allegations Detainee response Lakhdar Boumediene Nationality: Algerian Circumstances of Capture: Arrested by Bosnian authorities in October 2001 on suspicion of plotting to bomb the U.S. embassy in Sarajevo. Cleared for release January 2002, but transported to Guantanamo at request of US military. Summary of Allegations: The government mainly alleged that he’d planned to travel to Afghanistan in late 2001 to fight the U.S. and allied forces.Also that he associated with al-Qaeda and other suspected terrorists and that he’d worked for a Qaeda-affiliated organization that provided material support to terrorists. Status: Judge ordered release Nov. 20, 2008. Boumediene was transferred to France May 15, 2009. Reason for Court’s Decision: Judge decided the government failed to prove its allegations by a preponderance (majority) of the evidence. “[T]he Government relies exclusively on the information contained in a classified document from an unnamed source,” wrote the judge. This single piece of evidence “is not sufficient” to prove the legality of detention, he said. Court Documents: Trial Court Decision Government allegations Detainee response Mohammed El Gharani Nationality: Born in Saudi Arabia, citizen of Chad Circumstances of Capture: Arrested by Pakistani authorities and turned over to the United States in early 2002. Summary of Allegations: The government alleged that he’d stayed at a Qaeda-affiliated guesthouse in Afghanistan, received military training at a Qaeda camp, served as a courier for al-Qaeda members, fought the U.S. and allies at the battle of Tora Bora, and belonged to a Qaeda cell based in London. Status: Judge found El Gharani eligible for release Jan. 13, 2009. He was transferred to Chad on June 11, 2009. Reason for Court’s Decision: The government’s evidence was unreliable, the judge said, because it consisted chiefly of statements by two other detainees — sometimes contradicting each other — whose believability was questioned by the government itself. Court Documents: Trial Court Decision Government allegations Anwar Hassan Nationality: Chinese (Uighur) Circumstances of Capture: Captured December 2001 in Pakistan by Pakistani civilians, handed over to Pakistani authorities, then transferred to U.S. military for $5,000. Summary of Allegations: The government alleged that he was affiliated with a Uighur (Chinese ethnic minority) independence group know as the East Turkistan Islamic Movement, from which he received weapons training. ETIM was alleged to be associated with al-Qaeda and the Taliban and engaged in hostilities against the U.S. and allies. Status: Determined by government to be eligible for release June 2003. Federal trial judge ordered Hassan released Oct. 8, 2008, but the government appealed, and the release order was blocked by the D.C. federal appeals court. He was transferred to Palau on Oct. 31, 2009. In October, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the Uighurs’ appeal of their case. Reason for Court’s Decision: The D.C. federal appeals court decided on June 20, 2008, that the government had failed to present enough reliable evidence to prove key allegations — that ETIM was linked to al-Qaeda and the Taliban, and that ETIM was hostile to the U.S.” Court Documents: Trial Court Decision Status Report Government allegations Court Transcript Mustafa Ait Idir Nationality: Algerian Circumstances of Capture: Arrested by Bosnian authorities in October 2001 on suspicion of plotting to bomb the U.S. embassy in Sarajevo. Cleared for release January 2002, but transported to Guantanamo at request of US military. Summary of Allegations: The government mainly alleged that he’d planned to travel to Afghanistan in late 2001 to fight the U.S. and allied forces.Also that he associated with al-Qaeda and other suspected terrorists and that he’d worked for a Qaeda-affiliated organization that provided material support to terrorists. Status: Judge ordered release Nov. 20, 2008. Ait Idir was transferred to Bosnia and Herzegovina Dec. 16, 2008. Reason for Court’s Decision: Judge decided the government failed to prove its allegations by a preponderance (majority) of the evidence. “[T]he Government relies exclusively on the information contained in a classified document from an unnamed source,” wrote the judge. This single piece of evidence “is not sufficient” to prove the legality of detention, he said. Court Documents: Trial Court Decision Government allegations Jalal Jalaldin (aka Abdullah Abdulqadir) Nationality: Chinese (Uighur) Circumstances of Capture: Captured December 2001 in Pakistan by Pakistani civilians, handed over to Pakistani authorities, then transferred to U.S. military for $5,000. Summary of Allegations: The government alleged that he was affiliated with a Uighur (Chinese ethnic minority) independence group know as the East Turkistan Islamic Movement, from which he received weapons training. ETIM was alleged to be associated with al-Qaeda and the Taliban and engaged in hostilities against the U.S. and allies. Status: Determined by government to be eligible for release August 2003. Federal trial judge ordered Parhat released Oct. 8, 2008. The government appealed, and judge’s release order was blocked by the D.C. federal appeals court. Jalaldin nevertheless was transferred to Bermuda, June 11, 2009. In October, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the Uighurs’ appeal of their case. Reason for Court’s Decision: The D.C. federal appeals court decided on June 20, 2008, that the government had failed to present enough reliable evidence to prove key allegations — that ETIM was linked to al-Qaeda and the Taliban, and that ETIM was hostile to the U.S.” Court Documents: Trial Court Decision Government Allegations Mohammed Jawad Nationality: Afghan Circumstances of Capture: Arrested by local officials in Afghanistan in December 2002. Summary of Allegations: The government alleged that on Dec. 17, 2002, Jawad tossed a grenade in Afghanistan that seriously injured two U.S. soldiers and their local interpreter. Status: On July 30, 2009, judge ordered that “beginning on August 21″ the government “shall promptly release petitioner Jawad.” He was transferred to Afghanistan on Aug. 24, 2009. Reason for Court’s Decision: Technically the judge ordered Jawad released because the government said it would no longer detain him as a wartime enemy. But the government’s decision followed a scathing reprimand from the judge for continuing to detain Jawad and prosecute him in a military commission based mostly on a confession obtained by Afghan officials under death threats. Court Documents: Trial Court Decision Court Transcript Saber Lahmar Nationality: Algerian Circumstances of Capture: Arrested by Bosnian authorities in October 2001 on suspicion of plotting to bomb the U.S. embassy in Sarajevo. Cleared for release January 2002, but transported to Guantanamo at request of US military. Summary of Allegations: The government mainly alleged that he’d planned to travel to Afghanistan in late 2001 to fight the U.S. and allied forces.Also that he associated with al-Qaeda and other suspected terrorists and that he’d worked for a Qaeda-affiliated organization that provided material support to terrorists. Status: Judge ordered release Nov. 20, 2008. Lahmar was transferred to France on Nov. 30, 2009. Reason for Court’s Decision: Judge decided the government failed to prove its allegations by a preponderance (majority) of the evidence. “[T]he Government relies exclusively on the information contained in a classified document from an unnamed source,” wrote the judge. This single piece of evidence “is not sufficient” to prove the legality of detention, he said. Court Documents: Trial Court Decision Government Allegations Edham Mamet Nationality: Chinese (Uighur) Circumstances of Capture: Captured in Afghanistan in November 2001. Summary of Allegations: The government alleged that he was affiliated with a Uighur (Chinese ethnic minority) independence group know as the East Turkistan Islamic Movement, from which he received weapons training. ETIM was alleged to be associated with al-Qaeda and the Taliban and engaged in hostilities against the U.S. and allies. Status: Determined by government to be eligible for release August 2003. Federal trial judge ordered Mamet released Oct. 8, 2008, but the government appealed, and the release order was blocked by the D.C. federal appeals court. He was transferred to Palau on Oct. 31, 2009. In October, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the Uighurs’ appeal of their case. Reason for Court’s Decision: The D.C. federal appeals court decided on June 20, 2008, that the government had failed to present enough reliable evidence to prove key allegations — that ETIM was linked to al-Qaeda and the Taliban, and that ETIM was hostile to the U.S.” Court Documents: Trial Court Decision Government Allegations Status Report Court Transcript Abdul Nasser (aka Khaleel Mamut) Nationality: Chinese (Uighur) Circumstances of Capture: Captured December 2001 in Pakistan by Pakistani civilians, handed over to Pakistani authorities, then transferred to U.S. military for $5,000. Summary of Allegations: The government alleged that he was affiliated with a Uighur (Chinese ethnic minority) independence group know as the East Turkistan Islamic Movement, from which he received weapons training. ETIM was alleged to be associated with al-Qaeda and the Taliban and engaged in hostilities against the U.S. and allies. Status: Determined by government to be eligible for transfer November 2005. Federal trial judge ordered Nassar released Oct. 8, 2008, but the government appealed, and the release order was blocked by the D.C. federal appeals court. Nasser nevertheless was transferred to Bermuda on June 11, 2009. In October, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the Uighurs’ appeal of their case. Reason for Court’s Decision: The D.C. federal appeals court decided on June 20, 2008, that the government had failed to present enough reliable evidence to prove key allegations — that ETIM was linked to al-Qaeda and the Taliban, and that ETIM was hostile to the U.S.” Court Documents: Trial Court Decision Government Allegations Mohamed Nechla Nationality: Algerian Circumstances of Capture: Arrested by Bosnian authorities in October 2001 on suspicion of plotting to bomb the U.S. embassy in Sarajevo. Cleared for release January 2002, but transported to Guantanamo at request of US military. Summary of Allegations: The government mainly alleged that he’d planned to travel to Afghanistan in late 2001 to fight the U.S. and allied forces.Also that he associated with al-Qaeda and other suspected terrorists and that he’d worked for a Qaeda-affiliated organization that provided material support to terrorists. Status: Judge ordered release Nov. 20, 2008. Nechla was transferred to Bosnia and Herzegovina Dec. 16, 2008. Reason for Court’s Decision: Judge decided the government failed to prove its allegations by a preponderance (majority) of the evidence. “[T]he Government relies exclusively on the information contained in a classified document from an unnamed source,” wrote the judge. This single piece of evidence “is not sufficient” to prove the legality of detention, he said. Court Documents: Trial Court Decision Government Allegations Detainee Response Adel Noori Nationality: Chinese (Uighur) Circumstances of Capture: Captured December 2001 in Pakistan by Pakistani civilians, handed over to Pakistani authorities, then transferred to U.S. military for $5,000. Summary of Allegations: The government alleged that he was affiliated with a Uighur (Chinese ethnic minority) independence group know as the East Turkistan Islamic Movement, from which he received weapons training. ETIM was alleged to be associated with al-Qaeda and the Taliban and engaged in hostilities against the U.S. and allies. Status: Determined by government to be eligible for transfer October 2005. Federal trial judge ordered Noori released Oct. 8, 2008, but the government appealed, and the release order was blocked by the D.C. federal appeals court. He was transferred to Palau on Oct. 31, 2009. In October, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the Uighurs’ appeal of their case. Reason for Court’s Decision: The D.C. federal appeals court decided on June 20, 2008, that the government had failed to present enough reliable evidence to prove key allegations — that ETIM was linked to al-Qaeda and the Taliban, and that ETIM was hostile to the U.S. — and that Parhat could not be held as an enemy combatant on “bare assertions.” Court Documents: Trial Court Decision Government allegations Huzaifa Parhat Nationality: Chinese (Uighur) Circumstances of Capture: Captured December 2001 in Pakistan by Pakistani civilians, handed over to Pakistani authorities, then transferred to U.S. military for $5,000. Summary of Allegations: The government alleged that he was affiliated with a Uighur (Chinese ethnic minority) independence group know as the East Turkistan Islamic Movement, from which he received weapons training. ETIM was alleged to be associated with al-Qaeda and the Taliban and engaged in hostilities against the U.S. and allies. Status: Determined by government to be eligible for release August 2003. Federal trial judge ordered Parhat released Oct. 8, 2008. The government appealed, and judge’s release order was blocked by the D.C. federal appeals court. Parhat nevertheless was transferred to Bermuda, June 11, 2009. In October, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the Uighurs’ appeal of their case. Reason for Court’s Decision: The D.C. federal appeals court decided on June 20, 2008, that the government had failed to present enough reliable evidence to prove key allegations — that ETIM was linked to al-Qaeda and the Taliban, and that ETIM was hostile to the U.S. – and that Parhat could not be held as an enemy combatant on “bare assertions.” Court Documents: Trial Court Decision Government allegations Abdul Semet (aka Salahadin Abdulahat) Nationality: Chinese (Uighur) Circumstances of Capture: Captured in December 2001 by Pakistani civilians, handed over to Pakistani authorities, transferred to US military for $5,000. Summary of Allegations: The government alleged that he was affiliated with a Uighur (Chinese ethnic minority) independence group know as the East Turkistan Islamic Movement, from which he received weapons training. ETIM was alleged to be associated with al-Qaeda and the Taliban and engaged in hostilities against the U.S. and allies. Status: Determined by government to be eligible for release August 2003. Federal trial judge ordered Rahman released Oct. 8, 2008. The government appealed, and judge’s release order was blocked by D.C. federal appeals court. He was transferred to Palau on Oct. 31, 2009. In October, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the Uighurs’ appeal of their case. Reason for Court’s Decision: The D.C. federal appeals court decided on June 20, 2008, that the government had failed to present enough reliable evidence to prove key allegations — that ETIM was linked to al-Qaeda and the Taliban, and that ETIM was hostile to the U.S.” Court Documents: Trial Court Decision Government allegations Ahmad Tourson Nationality: Chinese (Uighur) Circumstances of Capture: Captured in Afghanistan in November 2001. Summary of Allegations: The government alleged that he was affiliated with a Uighur (Chinese ethnic minority) independence group know as the East Turkistan Islamic Movement, from which he received weapons training. ETIM was alleged to be associated with al-Qaeda and the Taliban and engaged in hostilities against the U.S. and allies. Status: Determined by government to be eligible for release December 2005. Federal trial judge ordered Tourson released Oct. 8, 2008, but the government appealed, and the release order was blocked by the D.C. federal appeals court. He was transferred to Palau on Oct. 31, 2009. In October, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the Uighurs’ appeal of their case. Reason for Court’s Decision: The D.C. federal appeals court decided on June 20, 2008, that the government had failed to present enough reliable evidence to prove key allegations — that ETIM was linked to al-Qaeda and the Taliban, and that ETIM was hostile to the U.S.” Court Documents: Trial Court Decision Government allegations Still in Custody Mohammed Al Adahi Nationality: Yemeni Circumstances of Capture: Captured by Pakistani authorities near the Afghanistan border in December 2001. Summary of Allegations: The government alleged that Adahi once helped tend to wounded Taliban soldiers during a bus trip; was present in Kabul during the U.S. air campaign there; and was in possession of the model of a watch that has been used in bombings linked to al-Qaeda. Status: Judge ordered release Aug. 17, 2009. He remains at Guantanamo. Reason for Court’s Decision: Judge ordered release Aug. 17, 2009. He remains at Guantanamo. The judge found “no reliable evidence” that Adahi supported, trained or fought for, or was a member of al-Qaeda, and that while Adahi acknowledged meeting Osama Bin Laden, that did not justify his detention. Court Documents: Trial Court Decision Government Allegations Detainee response Khalid Ali (aka Saidullah Khalik) Nationality: Chinese (Uighur) Circumstances of Capture: Captured in December 2001 by Pakistani civilians, handed over to Pakistani authorities, transferred to US military for $5,000. Summary of Allegations: The government alleged that he was affiliated with a Uighur (Chinese ethnic minority) independence group know as the East Turkistan Islamic Movement, from which he received weapons training. ETIM was alleged to be associated with al-Qaeda and the Taliban and engaged in hostilities against the U.S. and allies. Status: Determined by government to be eligible for release August 2003. Federal trial judge ordered Ali released Oct. 8, 2008, but the government appealed, and the release order was blocked by the D.C. federal appeals court. Ali has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse the appeals court’s decision. He remains at Guantanamo. In October, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the Uighurs’ appeal of their case. Reason for Court’s Decision: The D.C. federal appeals court decided on June 20, 2008, that the government had failed to present enough reliable evidence to prove key allegations — that ETIM was linked to al-Qaeda and the Taliban, and that ETIM was hostile to the U.S. — and that Khalid could not be held as an enemy combatant on “bare assertions.” Court Documents: Trial Court Decision Status Report Yasin Muhammed Basardh Nationality: Yemeni Circumstances of Capture: Captured near the Afghanistan/Pakistan border in early 2002. Summary of Allegations: The government alleged that Basardh trained at a Qaeda military camp and fought for the Taliban, hiding with Osama bin Laden in the mountains of Tora Bora in late 2001. Status: Judge found Basardh eligible for release April 15, 2009. He remains at Guantanamo, while the government appeals the decision. Reason for Court’s Decision: Judge found Basardh eligible for release. However, he remains at Guantanamo, while the government appeals the decision. The judge said the admitted Taliban fighter could no longer be properly detained, because news reports showed that Basardh gave U.S. authorities information about numerous other suspected terrorists. “[A]ny ties with the enemy have been severed, and any realistic risk that he could rejoin the enemy has been foreclosed,” the judge wrote. Court Documents: Trial Court Decision Farhi Saeed bin Mohammed Nationality: Algerian Circumstances of Capture: Captured by Pakistani authorities in late 2001 while attempting to cross the border from Afghanistan to Pakistan. Summary of Allegations: The government alleged that Mohammed received weapons training in Afghanistan, and that he saw Osama bin Laden at a funeral in Kabul shortly after 9/11. Status: Judge ordered release Nov. 19, 2009. Mohammed remains at Guantanamo. Reason for Court’s Decision: The court has not yet released a declassified version of the judge’s opinion. Saeed Hatim Nationality: Yemeni Circumstances of Capture: Captured in December 2001 by Pakistani civilians, handed over to Pakistani authorities, transferred to US military for $5,000. Summary of Allegations: He went to Afghanistan in 2001 , where he attended the al-Farouq training camp and joined Arab soldiers near Kabul. Status: A judge granted his petition for a writ of habeas corpus on Dec. 16, 2009. He remains at Guantanamo. Arkin Mahmud Nationality: Chinese (Uighur) Circumstances of Capture: Captured in Afghanistan in November 2001 Summary of Allegations: The government alleged that he was affiliated with a Uighur (Chinese ethnic minority) independence group know as the East Turkistan Islamic Movement, from which he received weapons training. ETIM was alleged to be associated with al-Qaeda and the Taliban and engaged in hostilities against the U.S. and allies. Reason for Court’s Decision: Determined by government to be eligible for transfer January 2006. Federal trial judge ordered Mahmud released Oct. 8, 2008, but the government appealed, and the release order was blocked by the D.C. federal appeals court. Mahmud has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse the appeals court’s decision. He remains at Guantanamo. In October, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the Uighursʼ appeal of their case. Court Documents: Trial Court Decision Government allegations Status report (September 2008) Court transcript) Bahtiyar Mahnut Nationality: Chinese (Uighur) Circumstances of Capture: Captured in December 2001 by Pakistani civilians, handed over to Pakistani authorities, transferred to US military for $5,000. Summary of Allegations: The government alleged that he was affiliated with a Uighur (Chinese ethnic minority) independence group know as the East Turkistan Islamic Movement, from which he received weapons training. ETIM was alleged to be associated with al-Qaeda and the Taliban and engaged in hostilities against the U.S. and allies. Status: Determined by government to be eligible for transfer December 2005. Federal trial judge ordered Mahnut released Oct. 8, 2008, but the government appealed, and the release order was blocked by the D.C. federal appeals court. Mahnut has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse the appeals court’s decision. He remains at Guantanamo. In October, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the Uighurs’ appeal of their case. Reason for Court’s Decision: The D.C. federal appeals court decided on June 20, 2008, that the government had failed to present enough reliable evidence to prove key allegations — that ETIM was linked to al-Qaeda and the Taliban, and that ETIM was hostile to the U.S.” Court Documents: Trial Court Decision Government allegations Status report (September 2008) Court transcript Hammad Memet (aka Ahmed Mohamed) Nationality: Chinese (Uighur) Circumstances of Capture: Captured in December 2001 by Pakistani civilians, handed over to Pakistani authorities, transferred to US military for $5,000. Summary of Allegations: The government alleged that he was affiliated with a Uighur (Chinese ethnic minority) independence group know as the East Turkistan Islamic Movement, from which he received weapons training. ETIM was alleged to be associated with al-Qaeda and the Taliban and engaged in hostilities against the U.S. and allies. Status: Determined by government to be eligible for transfer May 2008. Federal trial judge ordered Memet released Oct. 8, 2008, but the government appealed, and the release order was blocked by the D.C. federal appeals court. Memet has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse the appeals court’s decision. He remains at Guantanamo. In October, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the Uighurs’ appeal of their case. Court Documents: Trial Court Decision Government allegations Status report (September 2008) Court transcript Sabir Osman (aka Hajiakbar Abdulghupur) Nationality: Chinese (Uighur) Circumstances of Capture: Captured in December 2001 by Pakistani civilians, handed over to Pakistani authorities, transferred to US military for $5,000. Summary of Allegations: The government alleged that he was affiliated with a Uighur (Chinese ethnic minority) independence group know as the East Turkistan Islamic Movement, from which he received weapons training. ETIM was alleged to be associated with al-Qaeda and the Taliban and engaged in hostilities against the U.S. and allies. Status: Determined by government to be eligible for release August 2003. Federal trial judge ordered Osman released Oct. 8, 2008, but the government appealed, and the release order was blocked by the D.C. federal appeals court. Osman has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse the appeals court’s decision. He remains at Guantanamo. In October, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the Uighurs’ appeal of their case. Reason for Court’s Decision: The D.C. federal appeals court decided on June 20, 2008, that the government had failed to present enough reliable evidence to prove key allegations — that ETIM was linked to al-Qaeda and the Taliban, and that ETIM was hostile to the U.S.” Court Documents: Trial Court Decision Government allegations Status report (September 2008) Court transcript) Abdul Razakah Nationality: Chinese (Uighur) Circumstances of Capture: Captured in December 2001 by Pakistani civilians, handed over to Pakistani authorities, transferred to US military for $5,000. Summary of Allegations: The government alleged that he was affiliated with a Uighur (Chinese ethnic minority) independence group know as the East Turkistan Islamic Movement, from which he received weapons training. ETIM was alleged to be associated with al-Qaeda and the Taliban and engaged in hostilities against the U.S. and allies. Status: Determined by government to be eligible for transfer December 2005. Federal trial judge ordered Razakah released Oct. 8, 2008, but the government appealed, and the release order was blocked by the D.C. federal appeals court. Razakah has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse the appeals court’s decision. He remains at Guantanamo. In October, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the Uighurs’ appeal of their case. Reason for Court’s Decision: The D.C. federal appeals court decided on June 20, 2008, that the government had failed to present enough reliable evidence to prove key allegations — that ETIM was linked to al-Qaeda and the Taliban, and that ETIM was hostile to the U.S.” Court Documents: Trial Court Decision Government allegations Status Report Court Transcript Abdul Sabour (aka Yusef Abbas) Nationality: Chinese (Uighur) Circumstances of Capture: Captured in December 2001 by Pakistani civilians, handed over to Pakistani authorities, transferred to US military for $5,000. Summary of Allegations: The government alleged that he was affiliated with a Uighur (Chinese ethnic minority) independence group know as the East Turkistan Islamic Movement, from which he received weapons training. ETIM was alleged to be associated with al-Qaeda and the Taliban and engaged in hostilities against the U.S. and allies. Status: Ordered released, remains at Gitmo. Reason for Court’s Decision: Determined by government to be eligible for transfer November 2003. Federal trial judge ordered Sabour released Oct. 8, 2008, but the government appealed, and the release order was blocked by the D.C. federal appeals court. Sabour has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse the appeals court’s decision. He remains at Guantanamo. In October, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the Uighursʼ appeal of their case. Court Documents: Trial Court Decision Government allegations Status Report Court Transcript

View original post here:
Gitmo Habeas Scoreboard — Detainee Wins

Does the United States have to remain in Afghanistan until Osama bin Laden is captured? And will the war be incomplete until that happens? Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) wanted to know. Gen. Stanley McChrystal neglects the first question and answers the second. “I believe al-Qaeda can be defeated overall,” McChrystal said, and bin Laden is “an iconic leader … he does need to be brought to justice.” But while he appeared to say — he didn’t make it 100 percent clear — that killing or capturing bin Laden is necessary, “I don’t believe simply getting him will end the organization.” Update : Apologies to Rep. Bilirakis for initially misidentifying him as a Democrat.

Originally posted here:
McChrystal on Bin Laden

The United States today released Fouad Mahmoud Al Rabiah to his native Kuwait after holding him for nearly eight years at Guantanamo Bay. According to the Department of Justice , Al Rabiah had been cleared for transfer by the government’s Guantanamo Review Task Force. On Sept. 17, a federal court also ruled he can no longer be legally detained, and ordered the government to release him. When the government still did not release him, Al Rabiah’s lawyers asked the judge to hold U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Rear Admiral Tom Copeman in contempt for failing to comply with the court order. In her order granting Al Rabiah’s petition for habeas corpus, Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly called the government’s evidence against Al Rabiah “surprisingly bare.” “Far from providing the Court with credible and reliable evidence as the basis for Al Rabiah’s continued detention, the Government asks the Court to simply accept the same confessions that the Government’s own interrogators did not credit,” the judge wrote. The U.S. government had claimed that Al Rabiah provided “material support” to the Taliban and al-Qaeda, and met several times with Osama bin Laden. Al Rabiah denied this, but apparently “confessed” under abusive interrogations to having run a supply depot for al-Qaeda fighters. Al Rabiah’s lawyers argued that the confessions were all coerced, and that it was a case of mistaken identity: the government had confused Al Rabiah with another man with the same nickname. That man was killed by American air strikes. The government did not appeal the judge’s decision.

See the original post here:
Gitmo Detainee Is Returned to Kuwait

Lottery officials warn consumers to be wary of scam Mid Columbia Tri City Herald If someone calls claiming to be from a lottery office about your prize, check with your local lottery office. All lotteries in the United States are run by … and more

Avoid Work-at-Home Scams NewsMax.com Those employees that are “hired” by these companies are then told that their salary will be paid by check from a United States company reported to be a …

See more here:
Avoid Work-at-Home Scams – NewsMax.com

NewswireToday (newswire) – 11/05/2009 Manchester, MA United States – Companies battered by shrinking revenues and discouraged employees will benefit

See more here:
Ingage, Inc. and eos consulting Create Offering that Re-invigorates Organizations

TopNews United States Be wary of email scam claiming to be from the FDIC BusinessNorth.com The email's subject line is “ check your Bank Deposit Insurance Coverage,” and it has the appearance of a legitimate FDIC message. However, it is a scam . … Beware of FDIC e-mail scam Upper Rogue Independent all 62 news articles

Curious about how Vice President Joe Biden, formerly one of Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s biggest supporters, came to oppose an expansive state-building commitment to Karzai’s government? Norm Kurz, Biden’s former communications director, explains in a Washington Post op-ed . Yesterday’s virtues are today’s vices. Karzai, once the man no one opposed, is the weak leader unable to knock heads; a Pashtun by heritage but hardly a tribal leader able to inspire followers; a smooth-talking politician in league with a brother running part of the country’s flourishing drug trade; a venal and power-hungry vote thief, subverting U.S. and NATO efforts to bring democracy to Afghanistan. Sure, but the question this raises — and I don’t know the answer — is whether the U.S. ought to have seen Karzai this way earlier, or at least have tempered its formerly glowing opinion of him. Kurz further writes: Biden and others worked for Karzai’s success for nearly eight years and have gotten very little from their investment. But it’s also fair to ask whether basing national security decisions on the shortcomings and failures of Hamid Karzai and his regime justifies leaving Afghanistan without having done the only thing the United States was asked to do so long ago: help establish security. It’s highly unlikely Kurz would have written this without at least Biden’s tacit approval or, at the very least, published this unless he wanted to give readers the impression that Biden believes the above paragraph. That contention holds that even Biden’s reportedly counterterrorism-heavy/Pakistan-first proposals for Afghanistan strategy would not be indifferent to Afghanistan’s fate. I’m not sure how all of this is supposed to work, but there’s a lot about Biden’s proposals that only exist behind closed doors, so everyone ought to be careful when saying they know what Biden’s about.

Originally posted here:
Is Joe Biden Speaking Through the Washington Post Op-Ed Page?

During the two-week debate over health care reform in the Senate Finance Committee, it was a Republican — Sen. Jon Kyl (Ariz.) — who pushed back most vocally against a proposal from Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) to save $4 billion a year by charging fees to medical device makers. But some Democrats are none too happy with the proposal either. California Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer last Friday sent a letter to Democratic leaders claiming the fees would kill jobs in their state. California is home to more medical device workers and companies than any other state. Our state is home to 1,300 medical technology firms, which create more than 112,000 related jobs. These California firms represent about 20 percent of total United States medical device sales and approximately one-third of the industry’s jobs. The showdown highlights the primary struggle facing Democratic leaders trying to rein in medical spending to keep care affordable and federal programs sustainable. That is, the medical industrial complex has evolved into a $2.3 trillion-per-year colossus, and any proposed cuts are sure to get blasted by lawmakers trying to protect regional interests — even when those regional interests run counter to national interests. Last week, the Finance Committee defeated Kyl’s amendment to eliminate the medical device fees altogether. But the saga is far from over. Indeed, Dow Jones is reporting today that the Advanced Medical Technology Association, the nation’s leading device lobbyist group, is in discussions with Baucus’s office about reducing the fees from $40 billion to $15 billion over 10 years. “A deal might come within days,” Dow Jones says, citing unnamed industry sources.

Read the original here:
Dems Push to Preserve Medical Device Jobs

Opponents of health care reform have raised the specter of government-subsidized illegal immigrants flooding our medical system with their costly illnesses. In fact, as I’ve reported before and the Migration Policy Institute notes today, the real problem is that health care proposals now under consideration in Congress would drive up the nation’s health care costs by leaving many legal immigrants uninsured and reliant on costly emergency room visits and public health clinics. And because legal immigrants tend to be younger and healthier and have fewer medical needs than the average U.S. citizen, excluding them from the health insurance pool would end up costing U.S. taxpayers more, rather than less, in the long run. According to MPI, of an estimated 12 million lawful permanent residents in the United States, 4.2 million are uninsured and more than 1 million would be excluded from Medicaid coverage or insurance subsidies if Congress doesn’t remove the current five-year waiting period for eligibility, which current proposals do not do. Legal immigrants would still be required to purchase coverage, though, putting them at a significant disadvantage compared to the rest of the legal population. “Leaving large numbers of legal immigrants out of health care reform would defeat the core goal of the legislation, which is to extend coverage to the nation’s 46 million uninsured,” said MPI Senior Vice President Michael Fix in a statement released with the report today. The report also criticizes the proposals for stringent eligibility screening, which is often costly and badly designed, and keeps eligible U.S. citizens from getting access to medical coverage if they can’t prove their citizenship. The Brennan Center for Justice found that in 2006, 21 million U.S. citizens lacked valid identity documents necessary to prove their citizenship.

Go here to see the original:
Health Care Reform Proposals Leave Legal Immigrants Uninsured

Postal Inspectors Crack Down On Check Fraud Scheme WMFD.com The United States Postal Inspection Service is seeing an increase in reports of check fraud schemes across the country. The latest scam is the Mystery …

More here:
Postal Inspectors Crack Down On Check Fraud Scheme – WMFD.com

It does not specifically name any Western country, but Gadhafi mentioned both the United States and Britain during a speech after the signing

Read this article:
Gadhafi and Chavez sign anti-terrorism declaration

At the “How to Take Back America” conference in St. Louis, Frank Gaffney of the Center for Security Policy led two workshop sessions — one on “how to defeat attacks on sovereignty by U.N. treaties and North American Union” and one on “how to understand Islam.” At that first workshop, he took a question on the North American Union and stated that it “wasn’t black helicopter stuff,” but that its framers might miss their goal of a 2010 union between the United States, Mexico and Canada. Video after the jump:

Go here to read the rest:
Frank Gaffney: The North American Union Is Real (Video)

ST. LOUIS — Former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-Ark.), speaking to a very friendly dinner crowd at the “How To Take Back America” conference, said that he’d “nearly had an Elvis moment” watching this week’s United Nations general assembly sessions and spoke about pulling out of the world organization altogether. “It’s time to get a jackhammer and to simply chip off that part of New York City,” said Huckabee, “and let it float into the East River, never to be seen again!” That remark got him a standing ovation, and Huckabee went on to suggest de-funding the U.N. entirely. “It’s time to say enough of the American taxpayer’s dollar being spent on something that may have been a noble idea, but has become a disgrace!” said Huckabee. “It has become the international equivalent of ACORN and it’s time to say enough!” Huckabee continued, suggesting that the U.N. be handed over to one of the nations that attacked America. “Let’s end the diplomatic excesses that these people enjoy,” he said. “Let any country that is willing to spend the money that the United States is hosting–let them have it. Give it to the Saudis and let these diplomats suck the sand out of the Saudi desert for a few summers and see if that’s where they’d like to go, and make their ridiculous speeches.”

Read the original here:
Huckabee in St. Louis: Get America Out of the U.N.

NewswireToday (newswire) – 09/27/2009 San Antonio, TX United States – A national study finds bosses use threats and intimidation during the financial crisis. Employees complain of a “culture of fear” and eroding trust

Read more:
National Study Finds Employee Trust Sacrificed in the Financial Crisis

In response to some of the talk about Iran sanctions coming from the Hill — like from the House Foreign Relations Committee’s chairman, Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.) — Frederick Jones, communications director for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued a warning that everyone needs to have a clear goal: multilateral sanctions if diplomacy doesn’t work. “The P5+1 will meet with Iran next week, and we should allow this diplomatic engagement to run its course,” Jones said, referring to the group consisting of the U.S., the U.K., China, Russia, France and Germany seeking to close the Iranian nuclear file. “Given today’s disclosure of Iran’s secret nuclear fuel facility, if Iranian intransigence continues, the United States will lead the effort to pursue multilateral sanctions against Iran in concert with our allies. As we move in that direction, we need to ensure that our unilateral efforts do not undermine the prospect for achieving tougher multilateral sanctions that will be most effective in bringing pressure to bear on Iran.”

See more here:
SFRC: ‘Multilateral Sanctions’ Will Result From Continued Iran Nuke Secrecy

The latest news on the Guantanamo front is that despite the president’s big promise in January to close Guantanamo Bay within a year, it turns out that just might not be possible, reports The Washington Post with ProPublica. Apparently, it’s been too hard to figure out what to do with the prisoners  the United States does want to release but can’t send home; and it’s even harder to decide what to do with the ones it wants to keep behind bars. In both cases, after been told for the past eight years that these are “the worst of the worst” terrorists, potential host countries and states are balking at the idea that they ought to accept some of the prisoners on their soil. Meanwhile, White House legal counsel Greg Craig, who initially led the Guantanamo closing drive and drafted the president’s executive order, has been shoved aside to make way for Pete Rouse , a senior adviser and fix-it man, who will reportedly oversee the Guantanamo closing process going forward. Craig is expected to leave his post at the White House soon.

Read more from the original source:
Gitmo Closing May Be Delayed