Nine men in court charged with terror offences - The Guardian

Counter-terrorism police from forces in London, Cardiff, Stoke-on-Trent and Birmingham carried out last week's raids. Photograph: Darren Staples/Reuters

Nine men are due to appear in court in London today charged with conspiracy to cause explosions and other terrorism offences.

They are among 12 men arrested a week ago in raids by counter-terrorism police from forces in London, Cardiff, Stoke-on-Trent and Birmingham. Two men from Cardiff and one from London have since been released without charge, West Midlands police said.

The remaining nine will appear at City of Westminster magistrates court this morning. They are charged with conspiring to cause an explosion or explosions in the UK "of a nature likely to endanger life or cause serious injury to property" between 1 October and 20 November this year. They are also accused of engaging in conduct in preparation for acts of terrorism between 1 October and 20 December, including downloading and researching materials and methods, carrying out reconnaissance and agreeing potential targets, and igniting and testing incendiary material.

Those charged from Cardiff are Gurukanth Desai, 28, Omar Sharif Latif, 26, and Abdul Malik Miah, 24.

London residents Mohammed Moksudur Rahman Chowdhury, 20, and Shah Mohammed Lutfar Rahman, 28, are charged.

Also charged are Stoke-on-Trent residents Nazam Hussain, 25, Usman Khan, 19, Mohibur Rahman, 26, and Abul Bosher Mohammed Shahjahan, 26.

Sue Hemming, the head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) counter-terrorism division, said: "Lawyers from the CPS counter-terrorism division have been working with the police on this case from an early stage and were on hand to give advice while the men were interviewed.

"I have reviewed the evidence provided to me by the West Midlands counter-terrorism unit and I am satisfied there is sufficient for a realistic prospect of conviction, and it is in the public interest that these men should be charged with these offences."

Last week's raids came after several months of surveillance and monitoring by police and MI5 officers.

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High court won't block's don't ask's during appeal - Washington Post

The Supreme Court refused Friday to stop enforcement of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy while a lower court hears a challenge to the Pentagon's ban on gays and lesbians serving openly.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit is preparing to hear legal arguments in a case brought by the Log Cabin Republicans. The gay rights group is challenging "don't ask, don't tell," and in September a federal district judge found the policy to be unconstitutional and blocked the Pentagon from enforcing the ban.

The appeals court is not likely to set a hearing on the issue until mid-March, and its ruling could come anytime after that. But the Justice Department persuaded the 9th Circuit to lift the judge's stay, prompting the Log Cabin Republicans to appeal to the Supreme Court.

The high court's order Friday came with no explanation and no noted dissent. It provides no clue to how the justices ultimately would rule on the merits of the case, because the only question presented was whether to lift the stay.

Even so, it was notable for one thing: Justice Elena Kagan's decision to recuse herself from the case. Her decision was not explained, but it likely has to do with her service as President Obama's solicitor general and her role in decisions about setting the administration's strategy in response to the suit.

Whenever a justice is recused, that raises the possibility of a 4 to 4 tie. But in this case, it also robs those who oppose "don't ask, don't tell" of a justice likely to be sympathetic. While dean of Harvard Law School, Kagan was an outspoken critic of the policy, though she told conservative critics during her confirmation hearings - both as solicitor general and for the Supreme Court - that she could separate her personal opinion from her legal analysis.

The potential for a tie also increases the importance of the circuit court's opinion. A tie means that the lower court's decision stands but without setting a national precedent.

The American Civil Liberties Union launched a separate legal effort Wednesday against the Pentagon's policy on gays in the military. The group is suing to change the military's rules on the amount of separation pay given to service members discharged for being gay.

ed.okeefe@washingtonpost.com barnesb@washpost.com

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OJ Simpson Appeal Denied By Nevada Supreme Court - NPR

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O.J. Simpson, 63,  is serving nine to 33 years at a state prison.

AP O.J. Simpson, 63,  is serving nine to 33 years at a state prison.

The Nevada Supreme Court refused Friday to overturn O.J. Simpson's armed robbery and kidnapping convictions stemming from a gunpoint Las Vegas hotel room heist.

The court said in its ruling that it concluded that all of Simpson's arguments for appeal were without merit.

The court ordered the conviction of Simpson's co-defendant Clarence "C.J." Stewart to be reversed and a new trial held.

The 63-year-old Simpson is serving nine to 33 years at a state prison. His co-defendant, Clarence "C.J." Stewart, is serving 7 1/2 to 27 years at High Desert State Prison northwest of Las Vegas.

Both men were convicted of kidnapping, armed robbery, conspiracy and other crimes for what Simpson maintained was an attempt to retrieve family photos and mementoes.

The racial makeup of the jury and the conduct of the judge were key issues in the former football star's appeal.

Clark County District Attorney David Roger has called the September 2008 trial contentious but fair, and the sentences just. He had urged the justices to deny both appeals.

Simpson attorney Yale Galanter characterized his client's conviction as prejudicial "payback" for his 1994 double-murder acquittal involving the 1994 slayings of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman in Los Angeles.

At a previous hearing, Justices Michael Cherry, Mark Gibbons and Nancy Saitta posed pointed questions about whether Stewart received a fair trial alongside Simpson.

Four other men took plea deals and received probation after testifying for the prosecution.

Stewart, 56, is a former Simpson golfing partner from North Las Vegas.

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Judge said she was an addict and faced jail time if she relapsed again.

The court refused to overturn kidnapping convictions stemming from a Las Vegas hotel room heist.

Now only the top people in the Pentagon will be able to dismiss a someone from the military.

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