Italy is to reopen medieval and Renaissance inland waterways so that tourists can travel over 500km by boat from Lake Maggiore to Venice via Milan.

This summer, engineers will start clearing 8km of canals from the southern end of Lake Maggiore at Sesto Calende to Somma Lombardo.

Brazen raid kills 40 insurgents

Hundreds of militants, many from Afghanistan, attacked a Pakistani paramilitary camp in a lawless northwestern tribal region yesterday, sparking a major clash that left six security troops and 40 insurgents dead.

The brazen raid in Mohmand suggested sophisticated cross-border co-ordination among Taliban militants nesting in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Pirate drowned with his ransom

The body of a Somali pirate who drowned just after receiving a huge ransom washed onshore with $153,000 in cash, a resident said yesterday.

Five pirates drowned on Friday when their small boat capsized after they received a reported $3m (€2.2m) ransom for releasing a Saudi oil tanker.

Female gene link to Alzheimer's

A faulty gene on the female X chromosome may contribute to the development of Alzheimer's disease in women, scientists said yesterday.

The discovery is the first evidence of a sex-specific risk factor for the disease.

US senator vows to take his seat

Roland Burris, who was appointed to the US Senate by impeached Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, has said he is sending his lawyers to Washington tomorrow to meet with senate officials and expects to take his seat later this week.

"My lawyers will be there, and I will be there, certainly, in a day or two to pursue taking my seat," Burris said. "It is our position that I've done everything that's required and that I should be seated forthwith."

-