WASHINGTON – Taking an important step on the thorny path to closing the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, theWhite House plans to announce Tuesday that the government will acquire an underutilized state prison in rural Illinois to be the new home for a limited number of terrorist suspects held at Guantanamo. Administration officials as well as Illinois Sen. Richard Durbin and Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn will make an official announcement at the White House. Officials from both the White House and Durbin's office confirmed that President Barack Obama had directed the government to acquireThomson Correctional Center in Thomson, Ill., a sleepy town near the Mississippi River about 150 miles from Chicago. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid pre-empting Tuesday's announcement. A Durbin aide said the facility would house federal inmates and no more than 100 detainees from Guantanamo Bay. The facility in Thomson had emerged as a clear front-runner after Illinois officials, led by Durbin, enthusiastically embraced the idea of turning a near-dormant prison over to federal officials. The White House has been coy about its selection process, but on Friday a draft memo leaked to a conservative Web site that seemed to indicate officials were homing in on Thomson. The Thomson Correctional Center was one of several potential sites evaluated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons to potentially house detainees from the Navy-run prison at Guantanamo Bay. Officials with other prisons, including Marion, Ill., Hardin, Mont., and Florence, Colo., have said they would welcome the jobs that would be created by the new inmates. Closing Guantanamo is a top priority for Obama, and he signed an executive order hours into his presidency directing that the process of closing the prison begin. Obama has said he wants terrorism suspects transferred to American soil so they can be tried for their suspected crimes. The Thomson Correctional Center was built by Illinois in 2001 as a state prison with the potential to housemaximum security inmates. Local officials hoped it would improve the local economy, providing jobs to a hard-hit community. State budget problems, however, have kept the 1,600-cell prison from ever fully opening. At present, it houses about 200 minimum-security inmates. Obama has faced some resistance to the idea of housing terrorism suspects in the United States, but in Thomson many have welcomed the prospect as a potential economic engine. Thomson Village President Jerry Hebeler, was asleep when the word came that Thomson had been chosen. "It's news to me, but then I'm always the last to know anything," Hebeler said Monday night of the news affecting his town of 450 residents. "It'll be good for the village and the surrounding area, especially with all the jobs that have been lost here." But Hebeler said he wouldn't rejoice until "the ink is on the paper" because previous plans for increased use of the nearly empty prison have fallen through. Some Illinois officials have not supported the idea. GOP Rep. Mark Kirk, who is seeking Obama's old Senate seat, said he believes movingGuantanamo detainees to Illinois will make the state a greater threat for terrorist attacks. Kirk has lobbied other officials to contact the White Housein opposition to using the facility. To be sure, Thomson will not solve all the administration's Guantanamo-related problems. There still will be dozens of detainees who are not relocated to Thomson, other legal issues and potential resistance from Congress. Thomson is a symbolic step, however, a clear sign that the United States is working to find a new place to hold detainees from Guantanamo.AP sources: Ill. prison to get Gitmo detainees
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
AP sources: Ill. prison to get Gitmo detainees
Obama touting home energy efficiency program
WASHINGTON – Hoping to jump-start his plans for job growth, PresidentBarack Obama is pushing Congress to pass incentives for homeowners who retrofit their homes to make them more energy-efficient. The president planned to visit a Home Depot store in Northern Virginiaon Tuesday to make the case that outfitting houses to be more energy-efficient will create jobs and save families money on their energy bills. It's the fourth time in less than two weeks that the president will preside over a high-profile jobs event, as he calls attention to his efforts to bring down the nation'sdouble-digit unemployment rate. Last week, the president proposed a new spending plan that would provide tax breaks for energy-efficient retrofits in homes. The plan also calls forsmall business tax cuts and new spending on highway and bridge construction. The administration hasn't put a price tag on the plan, but it could cost more than $150 billion. The White House hopes the appeal of the retrofitting program — which some administration officials have dubbed Cash for Caulkers — will be similar to the now-expired Cash for Clunkers program, which offered rebates for trading in used vehicles for more fuel-efficient ones. At aWhite Housejobs summit earlier in the month, Obama told Home Depot chairman Frank Blake that home improvement companies would be key partners in this program. Obama has also proposed expanding stimulus initiatives that promoteenergy efficiency and clean energy jobs. Currently, about $8 billion of the $787 billion stimulus package goes toward energy-saving investments in homes. The White House has said investments like installing insulation, sealing leaks and modernizing heating and air conditioning equipment will pay for themselves many times over. In a memo for the president, Vice President Joe Biden said stimulus spending and other initiatives will lead to 1 million home energy-efficiency retrofits by 2012. The report also said the U.S. is on track to doublerenewable energy generation, including solar, wind and geothermal, in three years.Obama touting home energy efficiency program
UN chief: Time to stop climate finger-pointing
COPENHAGEN – Rich and poor countries must "stop pointing fingers" and increase their pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions to salvage the faltering talks on a global warming pact, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday. Ban's warning in an interview with The Associated Press came asworld leaders started arriving in Copenhagen, kicking the two-week conference into high gear in its quest to deliver a deal to curb emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases that cause global warming. Key issues remain, however, and the conference so far has been marked by sharp disagreements between China and the United States — the world's two largest carbon gas polluters. China and other developing countries are resisting U.S.-led attempts to make their emissions cuts binding and open to international scrutiny rather than voluntary. While China says the United States is backing off its commitment to help developing nations deal with climate change, the U.S. contends that China is not a poor nation that needs climate change aid. Ban told the AP he remains cautiously optimistic about a successful outcome, but warned that negotiators on both sides must work out their differences and not leave it to world leaders to resolve the major problems. "This is a time where they should exercise the leadership," Ban said. "And this is a time to stop pointing fingers, and this is a time to start looking in the mirror and offering what they can do more, both the developed and the developing countries." He said both rich and poor countries "must do more" to keep carbon emissions below dangerous levels and rich countries should step up commitments to provide a steady flow of money for poor countries to combat climate-linked economic disruptions such as rising seas, drought and floods. "This is a historically important and politically and morally important imperative for world leaders to achieve a deal in Copenhagen," Ban said. Speaking to The AP at a hotel in Copenhagen, Ban said if negotiators cannot resolve those problems before more than 110 world leaders arrive starting, "the outcome will be either a weak one, or there will be no agreement." "This will be a serious mistake on the part of the negotiators and the leaders if they go back empty-handed," he said. In Beijing, China accused developed countries Tuesday of backsliding on what it said were their obligations to fight climate change. "We still maintain that developed countries have the obligation to provide financial support," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said, adding that was "the key condition for the success of the Copenhagen conference." Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe was among the first heads of state to touch down in the Danish capital, avoiding a travel ban imposed by Western nations because he was attending to a U.N. conference. Mugabe was to address the conference on Wednesday. "The meeting may be taking place on Danish soil but we're playing by U.N. rules and these rules mean that all the world leaders can meet. That is the spirit of the United Nations," Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen told reporters. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was also expected later Tuesday — coming to Copenhagen a day earlier than planned to help push the talks forward. President Barack Obama and Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao are among those expected later this week. The U.N. conference's working groups were finalizing two years of work Tuesday and drawing up their final recommendations on such issues as deforestation, technology transfers and the registration of plans bydeveloping countries to control their emissions. Talks on a global climate deal hit a snag Monday when developing countries temporarily boycotted the negotiations, fearing industrial countries were backpedaling in their promises to cut greenhouse gases. The negotiations later resumed but deep divisions remain between rich and poor countries over emissions targets and financing for developing countries to deal withglobal warming. The world leaders are aiming for a political agreement in Copenhagen rather than a legally binding treaty. Still, the goal is to nail down individual nations' targets on emissions cuts and climate aid for poor countries so a legally binding text can be crafted next year. Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore told the conference on Monday that new data suggests a 75 percent chance the entire Arctic polar ice cap may disappear in the summertime as soon as five to seven years from now. Scientists say global warming will create rising sea levels, increasing drought, more extreme weather and the extinction of some species.UN chief: Time to stop climate finger-pointing
Fed is expected to leave rates at record low
WASHINGTON – The Federal Reserve is expected to leave interest rates at a record low this week. The big question is whether Chairman Ben Bernanke and his colleagues will hint about when they will reverse course and start boosting rates. Plans for reeling in the unprecedented amount of money the Fed has plowed into the economy to bolster the recovery are likely to dominate its discussions Tuesday and Wednesday. The Fed is expected to announce its policy decisions on Wednesday afternoon. The central bank faces a high-stakes challenge: If it removes the stimulus too soon, it could short-circuit the fragile recovery. But if it moves too late, it could unleash inflation or new speculative asset bubbles. Bernanke, who's seeking a second term as Fed chief, has made clear his No. 1 task is sustaining the recovery. Last week, he and other Fed officials signaled they are in no rush to start raising rates. At the same time, Bernanke has sought to assure skeptical lawmakers and investors that when the time is right, he's prepared to sop up all the stimulative money. Some encouraging signs for the economy have emerged lately. The nation'sunemployment rate dipped to 10 percent in November, from 10.2 percent in October. And layoffs have slowed. Employers cut just 11,000 jobs last month, the best showing since the recession started two years ago. Still, the Fed predicts unemployment will remain high because companies won't ramp up hiring until they feel confident the recovery will last. Consumers did show a greater appetite to spend in October and November. But high unemployment and hard-to-get credit are likely to restrain shoppers during the rest of the holiday season and into next year. "The economy isn't on solid footing yet," said Chris Rupkey, an economist at the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi. "So it's best for the Fed to keep with the script of low interest rates." The economy finally returned to growth in the third quarter, after four straight losing quarters. And all signs suggest it picked up speed in the current final quarter of this year. But analysts worry that the economy could weaken next year as government supports fade. Last week, Bernanke warned that the economy confronts "formidable headwinds." They include a weak job market, cautious consumers and tight credit. Against that backdrop, the Fed is all but certain to keep the target range for its bank lending rate at zero to 0.25 percent, where it's stood since last December. The Fed also is likely to retain a pledge first made in March to hold rates at such levels for "an extended period." The central bank also isn't expected to make any major changes to a program, set to expire in March, to help further drive down mortgage rates. In response, commercial banks' prime lending rate, used to peg rates on home equity loans, certain credit cards and other consumer loans, will remain about 3.25 percent. That's its lowest point in decades. Super-low interest rates are good for borrowers who can get a loan and are willing to take on more debt. But those same low rates hurt savers. They're especially hard on people living on fixed incomes who are earning measly returns on savings accounts and certificates of deposit. Tight credit is clobbering small businesses, normally an engine of job creation during economic recoveries. That's crimping their ability to hire and expand. Many small businesses rely on smaller banks for credit. But troubledcommercial real estate loans are concentrated at those banks. That's hobbled the flow of credit. At a White House meeting Monday, President Barack Obama urged top bankers to increase lending to small businesses. Afterward, some banks pledged to do so.Fed is expected to leave rates at record low
Golden Globe picks help sort out Oscar prospects
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – Having 10 best-picture nominees will be something different for the next Academy Awards, but it's nothing new at the Golden Globes. The Globes, whose nominations come out Tuesday morning, have long featured 10 or more best-picture nominees, divided into two categories: best drama and best musical or comedy. Plenty of Globe nominees for musical or comedy have made the best-picture cut at the Academy Awards, some even going on to win the top prize at the Oscars, such as 2002's "Chicago." But the Globe dramatic picks typically are the films that have scored well at the Oscars, where the best-picture category has been doubled from five nominees to 10 for the first time in 66 years. That could make the Globes even more of a bellwether for how Academy Awards nominations will play out Feb. 2, potentially opening the best-picture race to populist lighter films that often get overlooked amid the gloomy fare favored by Oscar voters. George Clooney and Jason Reitman have a likely Globe nominee with their comedy "Up in the Air," which has earned such widespread acclaim that it probably would have been an Academy Awards contender if the Oscars still had only five nominees. Other strong Globe prospects include the Iraq War drama "The Hurt Locker," the inner-city tale "Precious: Based on the Novel `Push' by Sapphire," the British romantic dramas "An Education" and "Bright Star," the Nelson Mandela saga "Invictus" and two Meryl Streep comic-tinged stories, "Julie & Julia" and "It's Complicated." Streep and Clooney's cartoon comedy "Fantastic Mr. Fox" is a contender for best animated film, along with the blockbuster "Up," the musical fairy tale "The Princess and the Frog" and the dark fantasy "Coraline." Acting prospects range from old pros Streep, Clooney, Jeff Bridges ("Crazy Heart") and Morgan Freeman("Invictus") to fresh faces such as Carey Mulligan ("An Education"), Gabourey Sidibe ("Precious"), Abbie Cornish("Bright Star") and Ben Foster ("The Messenger"). The 67th annual Globes will be handed out Jan. 17, six days before nomination voting closes for the Oscars. Globe winners can get a last-minute bump for an Oscar nomination, particularly on smaller films such as 1999's "Boys Don't Cry," whose Globe triumph for Hilary Swank helped put her on the map for a best-actress win at the Oscars. Last year's best drama winner at the Globes, "Slumdog Millionaire," went on to win best picture and dominate at the Oscars. Other Globe recipients who followed with Oscar wins included Heath Ledger as supporting actor for "The Dark Knight" and Kate Winslet, who won supporting actress at the Globes for "The Reader" andbest actress for that film at the Oscars. The Globes are presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, a group of about 85 critics and reporters for overseas outlets.Golden Globe picks help sort out Oscar prospects
Australian government to introduce Internet filter
SYDNEY – Australia plans to introduce an Internet filtering system to block obscene and crime-linked Web sites despite concerns it will curtail freedoms and won't completely work. Adopting a mandatory screening system would make Australia one of the strictest Internet regulators among the world's democracies. Authoritarian regimes commonly impose controls. China drew international criticism earlier this year with plans to install filtering software on all PCs sold in the country. The government said Tuesday it will introduce legislation next year for the filter system to help protect Australians, especially children, from harmful material on the Internet. Critics say it will not prevent determined users from sharing such content, and could lead to unwarranted censorship by overzealous officials. Communication Minister Stephen Conroy said the government would be transparent in compiling its blacklist of Web sites, but did not give details. Conroy said the Australian filter was among a number of new measures aimed at strengthening online protection for families. It aims to block material such as child pornography, bestiality, rape and other sexual violence, along with detailed instructions about committing crimes or using illicit drugs. Such material is already banned from publication on Australian sites, but the government currently has no control over it being accessed on servers overseas. Conroy conceded it may not be completely successful. "The government has always maintained there is no silver bullet solution to cyber-safety," he said in a statement. But, "it is important that all Australians, particularly young children, are protected from this material." Critics say illegal material such as child pornography is often traded on peer-to-peer networks or chats, which would not be covered by the filter. "The government knows this plan will not help Australian kids, nor will it aid in the policing of prohibited material," said Colin Jacobs, vice chairman ofElectronic Frontiers Australia, a nonprofit group that seeks to promote online freedoms. "Given the problems in maintaining a secret blacklist and deciding what goes on it, we're at a loss to explain the minister's enthusiasm for this proposal," Jacobs said in an online posting. The group is concerned the blacklist of sites to be blocked by the filter and the reasons for doing so would be kept secret, opening the possibility that legitimate sites might be censored. Conroy's announcement coincided with the release of a report on a monthslong trial that found Internet service providers were able to block a list of more than 1,300 sites selected by the government without significantly hampering download speeds. Telstra, Australia's largest Internet service provider, said blacklisting offensive sites using a filter system was feasible as long as the list was limited to a defined number of Web addresses, but that no single measure would make the Internet 100 percent safe. "The blocking of a blacklist of sites is one element of the multifaceted approach that is required to create a safer online environment," TelstraDirector of Public Policy David Quilty said. Jacobs said smaller Internet service providers would likely struggle to pay the costs of imposing the new filters. Conroy said the government would help providers implement the filters, without going into details. The filter would not likely not be in place before early in 2011. Countries such as Egypt and Iran impose strict Internet controls, and bloggers have been imprisoned. Chinahas a pervasive filtering system. Controls in democracies that value free speech are less strict, though Internet providers have at times blocked or taken down content deemed to be offensive. Canada, Sweden and Britain have filters, but they are voluntary. In the United States, Pennsylvania briefly imposed requirements for service providers to block child pornography sites, but a federal court struck down the law because the filters also blocked legitimate sites.Australian government to introduce Internet filter
India Beat Sri Lanka by 3 Runs in 1st ODI
India Beat Sri Lanka by 3 Runs in 1st ODI
