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Guantanamo Bay prisoner freed after 13 years

 
Washington Handshakes for train heroes President Barack Obama meets with, from left, Oregon National Guardsman Alek Skarlatos, Air Force Airman 1st Class Spencer Stone, and Anthony Sadler, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Thursday to honor them for subduing a gunman on a passenger train in Paris last month.
Washington Handshakes for train heroes President Barack Obama meets with, from left, Oregon National Guardsman Alek Skarlatos, Air Force Airman 1st Class Spencer Stone, and Anthony Sadler, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Thursday to honor them for subduing a gunman on a passenger train in Paris last month.
Published Sept. 18, 2015

GItmo prisoner free after 13 years

Another Guantanamo Bay prisoner has been released as part of the drawn-out U.S. effort to wind down and eventually close the detention center at the U.S. base in Cuba, officials said Thursday. Younis Abdurrahman Chekkouri was sent to his native Morocco after more than 13 years in custody at Guantanamo. His release, which followed an intensive security review and notification of Congress as required by law, was the first from the prison since June. The human rights group Reprieve, whose lawyers represented Chekkouri while he was in U.S. custody, expressed concern that he was not immediately released upon arrival in Morocco as expected. It was not clear how long he would be held by local authorities.

Nasa supplier faces risks

One of NASA's two commercial suppliers, Virginia-based Orbital, faces an uphill struggle in resuming deliveries to the International Space Station, according to a government report issued Thursday. The space agency's inspector general office said the company's upcoming flight plan contains significant risks, as it attempts to recover from last October's launch explosion. Orbital's Antares rocket failed seconds after liftoff from Virginia, destroying the space station goods and damaging the launch complex. It was Orbital's fourth supply mission, including a 2013 test flight. Orbital remains grounded, as does SpaceX, NASA's other commercial shipper, after a failed launch from Cape Canaveral in June.

FDA issues scope warning

Federal officials issued a new warning about medical scopes, alerting health care providers about reports of bronchoscopes spreading infections to patients even after the reusable devices were cleaned. The Food and Drug Administration said it's investigating reports that bronchoscopes used in the throat and lungs weren't adequately disinfected and sickened patients. The agency said no deaths have been reported.

Times wires