Washington bomb plot foiled by undercover agents posing as al-Qaeda
A 29-year-old Moroccan man who believed he was working with al-Qaeda was arrested near the US Capitol building, Washington DC, as he was planning to detonate what he thought was a suicide vest that undercover operatives gave him.
Amine El Khalifi was taken into custody last Friday, said a counterterrorism official.
Dutch prince's life still in danger
Dutch Prince Johan Friso's life remains in danger after being seriously injured in an avalanche in Austria.
The 43-year-old second son of Queen Beatrix was rushed to intensive care in Innsbruck yesterday. The prince suffered serious oxygen deprivation after being buried for 20 minutes but has no other major injuries.
Heart op a success for Japan's emperor
Japan's Emperor Akihito yesterday underwent a successful heart bypass operation and doctors said they hoped he would be able to resume a normal lifestyle.
Akihito, 78, has been receiving treatment for heart problems for the past year.
Russia: 17 police killed in Caucasus
Russian police say the number of police officers killed in a four-day operation to wipe out several militant bands in the volatile Caucasus republics of Chechnya and Dagestan has increased to 17.
The fighting is some of the bloodiest and most sustained reported in the region in recent months. A police spokesman for the Caucasus region said yesterday that another 24 officers had been wounded.
Chinese crack down on football fraud
The former deputy head of China's football association was yesterday sentenced to 10-and-a-half years in prison as part of a crackdown on corruption and match-fixing.
Yang Yimin, convicted of taking €150,000 in bribes, was one of 39 people sentenced in the north-eastern city of Tieling.
Fasting protects brain from decline
Fasting for regular periods could help protect the brain against degenerative illnesses, according to US scientists.
Researchers at the National Institute on Ageing in Baltimore said they had found evidence which shows that periods of stopping virtually all food intake for one or two days a week could protect the brain against some of the worst effects of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other ailments.
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