Famous Gitmo Detainee Released to France

(NEWSER) - In 2002, Lakhdar Boumediene was a relief worker who cared for orphans. “I’m a normal man,” he says. So when the US shackled him and flew him to Guantanamo Bay, he thought he’d be freed soon. “They have CIA, FBI. Maybe one week, two weeks, they know I am innocent,” he says. Now, 7½ years and two landmark court victories later, the Algerian has finally been released. He sat down with ABC News to discuss his ordeal. More»

(AP) - Barack Obama and his French counterpart, Nicolas Sarkozy, stood together today on thwarting Iran's nuclear ambitions and furthering a Mideast peace that provides for separate Israeli and Palestinian states. "We want peace. We want dialogue. We want to help them develop. But we do not want military nuclear weapons to spread," said Sarkozy of Iran, adding that he worries about "insane statements" from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. More»

(NEWSER) - Nicolas Sarkozy and President Obama pledged cooperation today on a host of international issues, from Afghanistan to Iranian nukes, the AP reports. “It feels really good to work with a US president who wants to change the world,” said Sarkozy at their press conference. It’s a “'helluva’ good piece of news for 2009.” Obama, for his part, said, "We're looking forward to being partners with Europe." More»

All but 3 who got hearings were found wrongfully detained

(NEWSER) - At least 24 detainees at Guantanamo Bay have won cases in federal court or military tribunals voiding their detention in the last 3 months. While the Bush administration has insisted that the prisoners who remain at Gitmo are "the worst of the worst," there was apparently no legal reason to detain nearly 10% of them. The timing of the decisions puts yet more pressure on the Obama administration to review all Guantanamo cases, reports the New York Times. More»

(NEWSER) - About one in five Gitmo detainees is on a hunger strike to catch the attention of Barack Obama, the Times of London reports. Of the 248 prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, 44 are refusing to eat, prompting the US to force-feed 33 of them through tubes. A military official also tells the paper that on the night of the election, inmates chanted, "Obama!" when they somehow learned of the results. More»