Qatari diplomat detained after incident on US plane

A Qatari diplomat has been detained after an incident on a flight from Washington's Reagan airport to Denver.

Two F-16 jets were scrambled to intercept the United Airlines plane and escort it to land safely at Denver airport, US officials said.

Initial reports said the man, who has not been named, had tried to set fire to his shoes.

But officials later said no explosives were found and he had apparently been trying to smoke in a plane toilet.

Investigators were told the man was asked about the smell of smoke in the toilet and he made a joke that he had been trying to light his shoes - an apparent reference to the 2001 "shoe bomber" Richard Reid, AP news agency reported.

Reid, a British citizen, tried to blow up a transatlantic jet with explosives hidden in his footwear.

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US and Russian leaders hail nuclear arms treaty

US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, have signed a landmark nuclear arms treaty in the Czech capital, Prague.

The treaty commits the former Cold War enemies to each reduce the number of deployed strategic warheads to 1,550 - 30% lower than the previous ceiling.

Mr Obama said it was an important milestone, but "just one step on a longer journey" of nuclear disarmament.

Mr Medvedev said the deal would create safer conditions throughout the world.

If ratified by lawmakers in both countries, the treaty will replace the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (Start) of 1991, which has expired.

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