Extradited terrorism suspects appear in US courts

NEW YORK (AP) — A partially blind extremist Egyptian-born preacher charged in multiple terrorism plots entered a U.S. court for the first time Saturday without the use of his arms, complaining that prosthetic hooks he uses were taken away as he and four other terrorism defendants were flown to New York overnight from London. Abu Hamza al-Masri, 54, indicted under the name Mustafa Kamel Mustafa, entered a Manhattan courtroom under heavy security to face charges he conspired with Seattle men to set up a terrorist training camp in Oregon and helped abduct 16 hostages, two of them American tourists, in Yemen in 1998. Al-Masri came into court with both arms exposed through his short-sleeved blue prison shirt. His court-appointed lawyer, Sabrina Shroff, asked that his prosthetics be immediately returned "so he can use his arms." In the 1990s, al-Masri turned London's Finsbury Park Mosque into a training ground for extremist Islamists, attracting men including Sept. 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui and "shoe bomber" Richard Reid. His court appearance followed soon after two other defendants brought to New York, Khaled al-Fawwaz and Adel Abdul Bary, entered not guilty pleas to charges that they participated in the bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa in 1998. The attacks killed 224 people, including 12 Americans. They were indicted in a case that also charged Osama bin Laden. In New Haven, Connecticut, earlier in the day, Syed Talha Ahsan, 33, and Babar Ahmad, 38, entered not guilty pleas to charges that they provided terrorists in Afghanistan and Chechnya with cash, recruits and equipment. All five of the men face up to life in prison if they are convicted. Al-Masri, a one-time nightclub bouncer, entered no plea, saying only "I do" when he was asked by U.S. Magistrate Judge Frank Maas whether he swears that his financial affidavit used to determine is he qualifies for a court-appointed lawyer was correct. Shroff told Maas that al-Masri needed use of his arms. "Otherwise, he will not be able to function in a civilized manner." She also asked for a dictating machine, saying he can't take notes, and the return of his diabetes medication and special shoes that prevent him from slipping. She said he will need a special diet in prison and a full medical evaluation. His beard and hair white, al-Masri peered through glasses as he consulted with Shroff and another court-appointed lawyer, Jerrod Thompson-Hicks, in a proceeding that lasted less than 15 minutes. Al-Masri has one eye claims to have lost his hands fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan. His lawyers in England said he suffers from depression, chronic sleep deprivation, diabetes and other ailments. Outside court, Shroff took note of her client's condition, saying: "I don't think he slept at all." Still, she added, "He seemed very much like a gentleman." She said she did not believe he had eaten since arriving on a flight with the others at about 2:40 a.m. Shroff and Thompson-Hicks also represented al-Fawwaz, 50, a citizen of Saudi Arabia. Thompson-Hicks said he was concerned whether his client would be properly treated for hypertension and high blood pressure. Attorney Andrew Patel, representing Bary, 52, an Egyptian citizen, said his client needed asthma medicine and treatment for other medical issues. Patel, who declined to comment afterward, told Maas that Bary reserved the right to request bail in the future. Four others who were tried in 2001 in the August 1998 bombings in Kenya and Tanzania are serving life sentences. Ahsan, 33, and Ahmad, 38, were kept detained while they await trial in Connecticut, where an Internet service provider was allegedly used to host a website. Their lawyers declined to comment. Ahmad made efforts to secure GPS devices, Kevlar helmets, night vision goggles, ballistic vests and camouflage uniforms, prosecutors said. U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara called the extraditions "a watershed moment in our nation's efforts to eradicate terrorism." He added: "As is charged, these are men who were at the nerve centers of Al Qaeda's acts of terror, and they caused blood to be shed, lives to be lost, and families to be shattered." Al-Masri is not the first ailing Egyptian-born preacher to be brought to Manhattan for trial. A blind sheik, Omar Abdel-Rahman, is serving a life sentence after he was convicted in 1995 in a plot to assassinate then-Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and in another to blow up New York landmarks, including the United Nations and two tunnels and a bridge linking New Jersey to Manhattan. Abdel-Rahman has numerous health issues, including heart trouble. The overnight trip to the United States came after a multiyear extradition fight that ended Friday, when Britain's High Court ruled that the men had no more grounds for appeal and could be sent to the U.S. immediately. The men have been battling extradition for between eight and 14 years. "I'm absolutely delighted that Abu Hamza is now out of this country," British Prime Minister David Cameron said. "Like the rest of the public I'm sick to the back teeth of people who come here, threaten our country, who stay at vast expense to the taxpayer and we can't get rid of them." "I'm delighted on this occasion we've managed to send this person off to a country where he will face justice," he added. Al-Masri has been in a British jail since 2004 on separate charges of inciting racial hatred and encouraging followers to kill non-Muslims. While al-Masri has been portrayed in the British media as one of the most dangerous men in the country, the case against Ahmad in Connecticut has raised concerns among legal experts and human rights advocates. Some lawyers and lawmakers have expressed concerns because Britain agreed to extradite the London computer expert even though his alleged crimes were committed in Britain and British courts declined to prosecute him for lack of evidence. Ahmad and Ahsan are accused of running websites to support Afghanistan's ousted Taliban regime, Chechen rebels and associated terrorist groups. ___

Avoid excess coffee to keep vision sharp and ward off eye disease

A new study suggests limiting caffeine intake to avoid developing serious eye disease and vision loss after finding a link between coffee drinking habits and glaucoma. Based on previously reported findings among Scandinavian populations, US researchers from Harvard University carried out a meta-analysis examining the profiles of about 120,180 men and women aged 40 and older who provided information on their caffeinated beverage intake. Responses were compared against their medical records to determine the cases of exfoliation glaucoma, which contributes to elevated pressure and can lead to damage of the optic nerve. Exfoliation glaucoma occurs when a whitish material builds up on the lens of the eye and, as its name implies, exfoliates or rubs off the color of the iris, blocking fluids from leaving the eye. Results showed that compared to non-caffeinated coffee drinkers, participants who drank three or more cups a day were at an increased risk of developing the eye disease. Interestingly, scientists say they found no associations with the consumption of other caffeinated beverages such as soda, tea, chocolate or decaffeinated coffee. The US study, published in the journal Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, builds on previously reported studies which found a link between the caffeinated coffee consumption of Scandinavians and the increased risk of developing eye disease: Scandinavian populations have the highest rates of exfoliation glaucoma and also happen to be the highest coffee consumers in the world, researchers said. The health findings surrounding coffee are mixed, as another study suggests that caffeinated coffee could lower the risk of the most common form of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma, while another study claims that coffee drinkers have a lower rate of death from heart disease.

Pinay teen wins 2012 covergirl search for Seventeen Magazine-Malaysia Pinay teen wins 2012 covergirl search for Seventeen Magazine-Malaysia

Sixteen-year old Filipina Erika Magora recently won the 2012 Covergirl Search of the Malaysian edition of Seventeen Magazine. In a news release on Friday, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Magora was born of Filipino parents and grew up in Valenzuela City. She arrived in Malaysia in 2008 with her mother and grandmother, and speaks fluent Malay, English, and Filipino. Magora studies in a private school in Subang Jaya, Selangor, and is always a top student in her class. The DFA said she intends to pursue law studies in college. Magora's hobbies include playing the guitar, singing, surfing the net, and reading books. Last January, Magora attended an event entitled “Clinique Sweet Seventeen Makeover Party” organized by Seventeen Malaysia. During the event, one of the magazine editors spotted her and invited for a photo shoot for their June 2012 issue. In April, she also joined the Seventeen Covergirl Search 2012. "Because of her charm and beauty, she stood out from all other contestants and won the contest. She then appeared in the magazine’s October 2012 issue, together with Malaysian pop star Mizz Nina," the DFA said. Magora paid a courtesy call on Philippine Ambassador to Malaysia Eduardo Malaya on October 1 with her mother, Anne Patricia Magora. Malaya congratulated Magora for her victory and urged her to remain a well-rounded individual. “Do continue to be a pride of your Filipino heritage, and show to them the beauty, spirit and other positive Filipino traits. Also, be a good example to your fellow teenagers on what they can strive to be,” he said.

Russian boy discovers wooly 'mammoth of the century'

An 11-year-old boy from Russia's north has stumbled upon a well-preserved wooly mammoth, in what scientists describe as the best such discovery since 1901. Yevgeny Salinder, whose family lives near a polar station in the northern Taimyr Peninsula, discovered the frozen animal when he was strolling along the banks of the Yenisei River in late August. "He sensed an unpleasant odour and saw something sticking out of the ground -- it was the mammoth's heels," said Alexei Tikhonov, director of the Saint Petersburg-based Zoological Museum, who rushed to the tundra after the boy's family had notified scientists of the historic find. Tikhonov said the mammoth had died aged 15-16 around 30,000 years ago, adding his tusk, skin, an eye and an ear were clearly visible. "His one-metre-long penis is also intact so we can conclude that this was a male," Tikhonov told AFP. Tikhonov said it was the best preserved adult mammoth discovered in more than 100 years. "So far we can say it is the mammoth of the century," Tikhonov said. It took scientists five days to dig out the animal which was then transported to the northern city of Dudinka.

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Nigeria Massacre

Gunmen kill at least 26 students at Nigerian college.

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