■ Canada
Terror suspect arrested
The eldest son of an accused al-Qaeda financier was arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) on Saturday on a warrant issued by the US Department of Justice. A spokeswoman for the RCMP said Abdullah Khadr is being held in a Toronto jail. Khadr's lawyer told the Globe and Mail's Web site that his client faces extradition to the US for allegedly planning to kill US soldiers abroad. Khadr, a 23-year-old who had just returned to Canada after being detained for more than a year in Pakistan, was arrested at his family's apartment in Toronto. Khadr is the eldest son of Egyptian-born Canadian Ahmed Said Khadr, an accused al-Qaeda financier who was killed in a battle with Pakistani forces in 2003. Khadr denies his family is or was ever involved with al-Qaeda.
■ Germany
Mammoth's relative named
German scientists say they have reconstructed a key sequence in the genome of the woolly mammoth, enabling them to show that the extinct beast's closest modern relative is the Asian elephant. Reporting online yesterday in the British science journal Nature, the researchers say they devised a new technique for the feat, teasing out DNA from just 200mg of bone found at a mammoths' graveyard in the Siberian permafrost. Their technique copied 46 chunks of sequence, which were rearranged to give a picture of the creature's mitochondrial DNA to match against those of modern animals.
■ Mexico
Jaguar returned to the wild
A jaguar captured last year after killing nearly 60 cows and sheep ran to freedom in the jungles of southern Mexico on Saturday. The federal Environmental Department cut loose the 1.3m long male named "Jaguar of Light" in a ceremony near the remote village of Asuncion Lachixila, Oaxaca. The jaguar wore a special collar that will allow scientists and police to locate the 43kg animal through a global positioning system. Police will be able to monitor the feline for public safety while scientists can increase their understanding of jaguars. The device will self-destruct in seven months, without harming the jaguar.
■ United States
Shoppers ignore boycott
A group of religious protesters demonstrated outside a Wal-Mart superstore in Sacremento, California, hoping to turn away customers by calling attention to the retailer's decision to use "happy holidays" rather than "merry Christmas" in its seasonal advertising. But even shoppers who agreed with the protesters weren't willing to interrupt their quest for holiday deals. A Wal-Mart spokeswoman said it was a matter of choosing a slogan that carries through the entire season.
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