World in brief

16 in Egypt convicted of plots, subversion

HAEKSTEP, Egypt -- A military court convicted 16 members of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group Tuesday, mostly academics and professionals, on charges of conspiring against the government and sentenced them to up to five years in prison.

The convictions, part of a crackdown on Islamic militants, were derided by the defendants and their lawyers as a politically motivated attempt to reassure the United States that Egypt is battling extremism in the wake of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

The men were accused of subversion, sedition and recruiting new members for the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest Islamic opposition bloc and a sharp critic of government policies. Six defendants were acquitted. Of the 16 convicted, five received five-year prison terms and 11 were sentenced to three years.

"The group manipulated the minds of the youth and of the simple people, secretly worked to recruit new members and provided training courses ... to fulfill their personal aim: to rule the country," Judge Ahmed el-Anwar said.

The government banned the Muslim Brotherhood in 1954, accusing it of advocating the violent overthrow of Egypt's government.

Leaders of the 74-year-old group say they renounced violence decades ago and strive to use democratic means to transform Egypt into an Islamic-run state.

U.S. troops scale back precautions in Kosovo

VITINA, Yugoslavia -- U.S. troops were permitted to patrol the streets of Kosovo without helmets and bulletproof vests for the first time Tuesday. It was a sign of the improved security climate as the United States prepares to scale back its military presence in the province.

U.S. peacekeepers last week closed one of 16 outposts in Kosovo and are set to close seven more in coming weeks. The three main U.S. military bases, including Camp Bondsteel, won't be affected by the closures.

"This is all part of this notion of progress," said Maj. Mark Ballesteros, a spokesman for the U.S. troops in Kosovo. "We are moving away from the requirement to have a presence in certain areas. The necessity for these camps has dwindled."

U.S. military officials announced earlier this month that they would cut the U.S. presence by 1,000 soldiers as part of a NATO plan to reduce the size of the multinational peace force by 4,800 troops.

As of now, 5,000 U.S. soldiers are in Kosovo as part of the 38,000-strong NATO-led peacekeeping force.

French judge throws out case against Scientology

PARIS -- A Paris judge has ruled that a 13-year-old case against the Church of Scientology alleging fraud and illegal practice of medicine cannot go to trial because the statute of limitations has expired, a judicial official said Tuesday.

Judge Colette Bismuth-Sauron ruled Friday that there was a lack of progress in the investigation and rejected the case on procedural grounds, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The criminal inquiry into 16 leaders of the church was opened in 1989 after a criminal complaint was filed by a former Scientologist, Juan Esteban Cordero. He accused the church, which has a headquarters in Clearwater, of "progressive mental conditioning" that led him to spend more than $167,000 on Scientology-related courses.

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