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Lindsay Lohan Arrest Warrant Issued

Lindsay Lohan Arrest Warrant IssuedAn arrest warrant for Lindsay Lohan was issued by the Beverly Hills Superior Court on Friday, related to her 2007 DUI and hit-and-run case, according to People.com. While the exact nature of the charge is unknown, arrest warrants can be issued for any number of infractions, including minor administrative problems like failing to update an address.

Lohan's lawyer, Shawn Chapman Holley, called the warrant "a misunderstanding," and said that she has been complying with the terms of her probation. On Saturday, Beverly Hills Police Lt. Mark Rosen said that the police are not ''actively looking'' for her, though if they came in contact with her, "she's subject to arrest." She is expected to attend a hearing on her case scheduled for Monday morning.

The star, whose film Labor Pains opens in May, is currently serving three years' probation for the May and July, 2007 incidents, in which she was alleged to have been in possession of cocaine.

Original Source : http://news-briefs.ew.com/2009/03/lindsay-lohan-a.html?iid=top25-Lindsay+Lohan%3A+Arrest+warrant+issued



Guantanamo Inmates

Guantanamo InmatesGuantanamo inmates no longer "enemy combatants".

The Obama administration stopped calling Guantanamo inmates "enemy combatants" on Friday and incorporated international law as its basis for holding the prisoners while it works to close the facility.

The U.S. Justice Department filed court papers outlining a further legal and linguistic shift from the anti-terrorism policies of Republican President George W. Bush, which drew worldwide condemnation as violations of human rights and international law.

"As we work toward developing a new policy to govern detainees, it is essential that we operate in a manner that strengthens our national security, is consistent with our values, and is governed by law," U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement.

Some human rights advocates said the shift by the new Democratic president did not go far enough in dealing with hundreds of suspected Islamist militants held, most for years without trial, at a U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

"The government may have eliminated the term enemy combatant but it is still claiming the authority to detain people far beyond the traditional norms of humanitarian law," said attorney Devon Chaffee of the group Human Rights First.

The term "enemy combatant" was adopted by Bush after the September 11 attacks in 2001 to refer to prisoners held under military orders he issued to launch the war on terrorism. The wording became emblematic of his policies, along with razor wire and orange jumpsuits.

The policies were subject to numerous legal battles and Supreme Court rulings that rebuked Bush's administration.

RETURN TO GENEVA CONVENTIONS

The filing on Friday, in the cases of some 200 Guantanamo inmates seeking a court review of their detention, explains the standards of President Barack Obama's administration for holding terrorism suspects without court review.

It said those at Guantanamo will no longer be held on the exclusive basis of the president's authority as commander in chief.

Bush, who sought to expand presidential powers during his eight years in office, had asserted his war powers were enough legal reason for holding prisoners. Bush officials also said they were not legally subject to the Geneva Conventions on prisoner treatment -- a view the Supreme Court rejected.

The legal structure for holding the Guantanamo prisoners will now be based on laws passed by Congress and, by extension, international law including the Geneva conventions, the Justice Department said.

In addition, it said only those who provided "substantial" support to al Qaeda, the Taliban or similar groups -- or who were "part" of those groups -- would be considered candidates for detention.

It cited Obama's project to review the entire detention policy, as part of a plan to close the Guantanamo prison, and said further refinements of the standards were possible.

The Obama administration has said some of the Guantanamo detainees, now numbering about 240, will be freed while others will be put on trial. A third category involves some prisoners deemed too dangerous to be released.

Major human rights groups said the policies will still allow the United States to detain prisoners seized far from a battlefield and that key definitions were left out, such as what constitutes "substantial" support for a militant group.

"In key elements they are a continuation of the Bush administration," said attorney Hina Shamsi of the American Civil Liberties Union.

"This is really a case of old wine in new bottles," said the Center for Constitutional Rights in New York, which represents a number of Guantanamo prisoners.

Holder had signaled at a Justice Department ceremony that much of his work would consist of scrapping Bush administration legal policy.

"There is an awful lot of work that we have to do," Holder said. "There are things, quite frankly, that we have to reverse, policy changes that we have to make."

Original Source : http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE52C59220090314

T-Bills

T-BillsObama: Have 'Absolute Confidence' in T-Bills.

President Seeks to Reassures Jittery Markets, Investors After China Premier's Remarks.

Investors should have "absolute confidence" in money placed with the United States, President Barack Obama said during an appearance with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at the White House today.

Obama and Lula da Silva held a private meeting for more than an hour before taking questions from reporters.

Obama was asked about Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao's expression of concern Friday that the Chinese investment of approximately $1 trillion in U.S. Treasury bills could be losing value.

"I think that not just the Chinese government, but every investor can have absolute confidence in the soundness of investments in the United States, and that it is not just in U.S.-issued Treasury notes but also in the private sector and the commerce and the industry that has made this the most dynamic economy in the world," Obama said.

The president dismissed reports of disagreement at the G-20 conference of finance ministers this weekend over whether regulation or fiscal stimulus would best to reboot the global economy.

"I don't know where this notion has emerged that there are sides with respect to the G-20," Obama said. "This is not a either-or question, this is a both-and question. We do believe that it is important for all countries around the world to step in and figure out how we can ensure that we are compensating for the drastic contraction in global demand."

Obama said a "whole range of approaches" on fixing the economy are possible.

"Fiscal stimulus is only one leg in the stool," he said. "We have to do financial regulation, and nobody is going to be a more vigorous promoter of the need for a reform of our financial systems. I think most of those initiatives are going to be taking place in individual countries, but there's going to need to be coordination between the various countries."

The two leaders were expected to discuss a range of issues, including U.S. ethanol imports from Brazil, which have been a source of disagreement for the competition they pose to U.S. producers. Obama said that "tension can get resolved" over time.

Lula da Silva invited the president to try out a flex-fuel car when he visits Brazil.

"I actually had a flex-fuel vehicle," Obama replied. "But one of the problems here in the United States is, is that we don't have enough gas stations that have biofuels in them. So that's one of the areas that we need to change our distribution networks here in the United States."

The appearance was punctuated by light moments.

"I'm praying more for him than I pray for myself," said Lula da Silva. "Because with just 40 days in office -- to suffer and to face such a terrible crisis the U.S. is facing today, I don't want to be in his position."

Original Source : http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=7084281&page=1

Daniela Krstic

Daniela KrsticMiss Oregon's Father Could Be Deported.

Courts Say Man Lied About Military Service.

Miss Oregon's father, a Bosnian Serbian refugee who moved his family to Beaverton in 1998, could be jailed and deported for visa fraud, court officials say.

Milenko Krstic lied to get his green card and said that he never served in the military, according to court documents. An international tribunal claims that Krstic's military unit was responsible for slaughtering unarmed Muslims in 1995.

A judge threw out Krstic's indictment in 2007, but this week that ruling was overturned by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Across the country, a number of former Bosnian Serbs have been prosecuted on similar immigration charges, a result of U.S. officials comparing their records to lists made available by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

The government hasn't alleged that the Krstic took part in killings.

His lawyer, Christopher Schatz, said Krstic was a conscripted clerk at the unit's headquarters "nowhere near Srebrenica," and didn't participate in, nor know about, mass killings during the war.

"He is not a war criminal candidate," Schatz said.

According to the documents, Krstic was a member of the Zvornik Infantry Brigade for the Army Republic of Srpska from 1992 through 1995.

A federal appeals court ruled this week that Krstic may have lied about his military service.

The U.S. government alleges that Krstic didn't mention his military service, and denied it in an interview, when he applied for permanent residence in 1999. Federal agents took his green card seven years later.

During the conflict in Bosnia, the International Court of Justice in Europe charged that Bosnian Serbian forces murdered unarmed Muslim prisoners.

The international court concluded that the brigade Krstic belonged to participated in massacres and ethnic cleansing.

Schatz said Krstic before the war gained a reputation as a peacemaker, joining with his Muslim supervisor at a coal mine on a "reconciliation commission" that tried to avert the fighting that broke out in 1992.

A prosecution document said that one mass killing was at a school "in close physical proximity to battalion headquarters where records show that defendant was working at the time."

Schatz said Krstic is a mining engineer who now works in production operating a lathe.

In 2005, U.S. agents came to Krstic's home near Beaverton and said he admitted to serving in the military unit but denied committing any crimes.

His daughter, Daniela Krstic, was crowned Miss Oregon in June and on Friday said that she's confident innocent and justice will be served.

"We don't know what's going to come out of all of this, but we know that he is an innocent guy, a good guy. We hope that justice will surface. We have faith in our country, the United States of America. I'm a proud citizen of this country," Daniela Krstic said.

The federal court of appeals ruling means that the U.S. government may continue the visa fraud prosecution against Milenko Krstic.

If convicted, it is possible that he and members of his family could be deported.

A spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Seattle, Lorie Dankers, said she could not comment on the Krstic case. She said deportation would be a possibility in cases of visa fraud, but family members involved in such cases who could show their immigration benefit was gained independently might not be.

The immigration proceedings would follow the criminal proceedings, which in the Krstic case could be lengthy.

Schatz said the appeals would reach to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary.

Original Source : http://www.kptv.com/news/18928221/detail.html#-

Donte Stallworth

Donte StallworthStallworth Involved in Fatal Accident

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte' Stallworth reportedly was driving a vehicle that struck and killed a pedestrian this morning in Miami Beach, Fla.

A police spokesman told the Associated Press that Stallworth's car hit a man who was crossing the causeway linking downtown Miami and Miami Beach around 7 a.m. today.

According to the AP, the man later was pronounced dead at a trauma center.

It's not clear if the pedestrian was crossing the street legally or if Stallworth violated any traffic laws.

No charges have been filed against Stallworth at this point, according to the AP. He reportedly had his blood drawn to be tested for alcohol and drugs, which the AP described as routine procedure in such a matter.

Original Source : http://views.washingtonpost.com/theleague/nflnewsfeed/2009/03/stallworth-involved-in-fatal-accident.html