Police in Germany 'foil asylum seeker suicide attack'

German police have arrested a teenage asylum seeker suspected of planning a suicide attack in Berlin, Brandenburg state officials say.

The suspect, 17, was arrested in the Uckermark district, Interior Minister Karl-Heinz Schröter announced.

But Brandenburg police say they have not confirmed reports that the teen, who entered Germany in 2015, is Syrian and was definitely planning an attack.

In December, a jihadist killed 12 people with a lorry in Berlin.

That attack on a Christmas market by Anis Amri, a Tunisian, put security services under intense scrutiny because of the way in which the attacker, who was later shot dead by police in Italy, evaded their surveillance and crossed European borders undetected.

Special forces arrested the teenager after police received a tip-off, Brandenburg police tweeted (in German). He had sent a message to his family saying farewell and that he was joining the "jihad", the police said.

Taiwan's top court rules in favour of same-sex marriage

Taiwan's top judges have ruled in favour of gay marriage, paving the way for it to become the first place in Asia to legalise same-sex unions.

The highest court ruled that current laws preventing members of the same sex from marrying violated their right to equality and were unconstitutional.

It gave parliament two years to amend existing laws or pass new ones.

Researchers say daily glass of alcohol increases risk of breast cancer

Washington – Researchers say a daily glass alcoholic beverage might increase the risk of breast cancer.

According to a new report by the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research on Wednesday, an average of 10g of alcohol a day is associated with a five per cent risk increase of breast cancer in pre-menopausal women and nine per cent in post-menopausal women.

Researchers analysed 119 observational studies on breast cancer risk from around the world, which included 12 million women and more than 260,000 cases of breast cancer.

Heart Disease :Chocolate may lower risk –Researchers

Eating chocolate on a regular basis may be associated to a lower risk of heart disease, a new study published online by Heart revealed on Wednesday.

Researchers have discovered a link between moderate chocolate intake and a lowered risk for atrial fibrillation or flutter (AF), the irregular heartbeat that can lead to stroke, heart failure and other serious problems.

Scientists, using food-frequency questionnaires to determine chocolate consumption, collected diet and health data from 55,502 men and women ages 50 to 64 in Denmark.

“About 3,346 cases of atrial fibrillation occurred in this follow-up study lasting over 13 years,’’ they said.

Trump to give speech on Islam in Saudi Arabia

President Trump will deliver an “inspiring yet direct” speech on the need to confront radical ideologies during his upcoming trip to Saudi Arabia.

The speech will come during an afternoon lunch with leaders of more than 50 countries with mostly Muslim populations, White House national security adviser H.R. McMaster announced Tuesday (May 16).

In it, the president will share his hopes for a “peaceful vision of Islam to dominate across the world,” McMaster said. He also said the speech will demonstrate America’s commitment to what he called its “Muslim partners” and aim to “unite the broader Muslim world against common enemies of all civilization.”

Afterward, Trump will participate in the opening of a new center to “fight radicalization and promote moderation,” according to the adviser.

Brazil: explosive recordings implicate President Michel Temer in bribery

Street protests and calls for impeachment as prosecutors are handed tapes of discussions about hush-money payments to jailed powerbroker Eduardo Cunha

Angry crowds and outraged members of Brazil’s congress have demanded the impeachment of President Michel Temer following reports he was secretly recorded discussing hush money pay-offs to a jailed associate.

The tapes were presented to prosecutors as part of a plea bargain by Joesley and Wesley Batista, brothers who run the country’s biggest meat-packing firm JBS, according to O Globo newspaper.

They are said to contain conversations that incriminate several leading politicians, including the former presidential candidate Aecio Neves and the former finance minister Guido Mantega.

Temer is alleged to have talked with Joesley about cash payments to Eduardo Cunha, the former speaker of the House who has been jailed for his role in the sprawling Petrobras corruption scandal.

Princess Mako of Japan to lose royal status by marrying commoner

Expected marriage to Kei Komuro would cost Mako her title under law that only applies to female members of monarchy

Princess Mako of Japan, the eldest grandchild of Emperor Akihito, will lose her royal status if she goes ahead with marrying a commoner because of a law that only applies to female members of the monarchy.

Her expected engagement to Kei Komuro, 25, has dominated television chatshows and newspaper coverage ahead of an expected official announcement in the coming weeks.