In brief: Saudi held at Guantanamo charged with aiding terrorism

U.S. military prosecutors have filed charges against a Saudi prisoner held at Guantanamo Bay who is related by marriage to one of the Sept. 11 hijackers, the Pentagon said Wednesday.

Prosecutors filed war crimes charges that include aiding terrorism against Ahmed al-Darbi for allegedly training with al-Qaida and taking part in plots to attack oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and off the coast of Yemen, the Pentagon said in a statement.

He would face up to life in prison if convicted.

The 37-year-old al-Darbi, who has been in U.S. custody since June 2002, is married to a sister of Khalid al-Mihdhar, one of the hijackers who crashed a plane into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.

McCartney helps refurbish Motown-famous Steinway

Detroit – A damaged 1877 Steinway grand piano used by Motown artists during the record label’s “Hitsville USA” heyday has been restored, thanks to a little help from Paul McCartney, and he’s set to play it when it’s unveiled next month.

A Motown Museum official said late Wednesday that the 9-foot, Victorian rosewood will make its debut at a charitable event at Steinway Hall in New York City on Sept. 18 before returning home to Detroit.

The ex-Beatle visited the Motown Museum’s recording studio in Detroit last summer while he was in town for a concert. When he learned that the piano on display could no longer be played, McCartney told museum officials he wanted to help restore it.

By the fall, the historic instrument was on its way to Steinway & Sons in New York to be fixed up.

Work is now done on the instrument, and McCartney and Motown founder Berry Gordy will play the piano at a charity event dubbed “Project: Harmony,” said Motown Museum board of trustees Chairwoman Robin Terry, Gordy’s grand-niece. The event will benefit the Motown Museum.

The piano eventually will return to Detroit, where it will go back on display at the museum’s famed Studio A.