Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: When dung beetles roll their tiny balls of poop across the sands of South Africa on a moonless night, they look to the glow of our Milky Way galaxy as a navigational aid, researchers report.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Pakistani man accused of taking part in an international al Qaeda plot to attack targets in the United States and Europe is expected to make his first U.S. court appearance Monday afternoon in New York, where he is facing terrorism charges.
Abid Naseer, 26, was extradited on Thursday from Britain to Brooklyn, New York. He is facing up to life in prison on charges including providing material support to al Qaeda and conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction in connection with an alleged plot to bomb a city centre in Manchester, England.
The charges against Naseer are also connected to an alleged al Qaeda plot in 2009 to bomb the subway system in New York City, U.S. prosecutors said. Two men, Najibullah Zazi and Zarein Ahmedzay, have pleaded guilty to planning the attacks and a third man, Adis Medunjanin, was sentenced to life in prison after his conviction last year for taking part in the plot.
Naseer is one of a dozen men, mostly students from Pakistan, who were arrested in Britain in 2009 on suspicion of plotting to bomb a city centre in Manchester. British authorities conducted daylight raids on the suspects' homes after Britain's most senior counter-terrorism official was photographed openly carrying details about the operation.
British authorities said they found large quantities of flour and oil in the suspects' homes, as well as highlighted surveillance photographs of public areas in Manchester and a map of the city centre.
Naseer and the other suspects were never charged, but British and U.S. authorities said Naseer was part of a broader al Qaeda cell bent on staging attacks in the United States and Scandinavia.
Naseer was indicted in Brooklyn federal court in 2010, along with Medunjanin and other individuals alleged to be linked through a multi-national al Qaeda conspiracy. U.S. prosecutors said Naseer and Zazi coordinated their plans through emails to the same Pakistan-based al Qaeda facilitator, "Ahmad," using similar code words to discuss explosives and the timing of their respective plots.
Naseer was re-arrested by British authorities in 2010 after a U.S. warrant was issued. He fought extradition, saying he feared he could be sent from the U.S. to Pakistan and subjected there to torture. Naseer's appeal was rejected last month by the European Court of Human Rights, paving the way for him to stand trial in the United States.
(Reporting by Jessica Dye; editing by Sofina Mirza-Reid)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/british-al-qaeda-suspect-appear-u-court-174651272.html
Jennifer Hudson looks at her time on "Smash" as a training program for Broadway.
The Oscar winner has a multi-episode arc on the NBC musical as Veronica Moore, a Tony-winning actress, and told EW the show is prepping her for the Great White Way.
"It's not easy being on the stage, on Broadway," Hudson told EW. "I take my hat off to those people."
Hudson said it was an immediate "yes" when she got the call for "Smash." "Doing the show has helped me get my feet wet for Broadway," Hudson said. "I like to take one step at a time and I feel like this was a huge leap, but a great start into walking into that world, which is something I definitely want to do one day."
In a behind-the-scenes video from NBC, Hudson said she had a ball recording the original songs.
"You're constantly creating new things on so many different levels," she said. "One minute you're in the studio, the next second you're doing choreography, the next second you're acting. It's a huge challenge, but I love it."
Click over to EW for more from Hudson and "Smash" stars Megan Hilty and Katharine McPhee.
"Smash" Season 2 premieres Tuesday, February 5 at 9 p.m. EST. The series moves to its regular timeslot, 10 p.m. EST, on Tuesday, February 12 on NBC.
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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/02/jennifer-hudson-broadway-smash_n_2395898.html
