BBC news with Stewart Macintosh
Officials in the United States say they and their allies have disrupted a plot to bomb a plane involving an upgraded device similar to that used unsuccessfully by a underwear bomber on a flight from Yemen to the US in 2009. The device is in the possession of US officials. Mark Mardell reports from Washington.
The White House says the president was told about the plot last month. The plan emanated from Yemen where al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula had made a device to be used by a suicide bomber to plant an American airline last week, on or around the anniversary of the killing of Bin Laden. It appears it was fooled as a result of the cooperation between American and other unnamed intelligence agencies at a relatively early stage, after the making of the bomb but before the public would put it any risk. It apparently contains no metal, so could pass through normal airport's security, although many American airports now use body scanners. So far no word has emerged as to the fate of the would-be bomber.
The leader of the far left in Greece has been asked to form a new government after his opposite number on the center-right said he was unable to build a coalition. The Syriza group led by Alexis Tsipras wants to put together a cabinet that would reject the austerity measures imposed as part of Greece's bailout deal. A BBC correspondent says prolonged political instability can be expected, followed probably by new elections.