Top Al-Qaeda Leader Captured, Officials Say
Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, described as al Qaeda's chief in the Gulf and a suspected planner of the bombing of the American warship USS Cole, is in U.S. custody, officials said on Thursday.
( BY TABASSUM ZAKARIA, Reuters, 11/21/2002 08:13 PM EST)

Powell: Summer No Obstacle to Fighting Iraq
The United States could fight Iraq in the summer, especially in the cool of the night, if Iraqi President Saddam Hussein waits until the winter passes and then obstructs U.N. weapons inspections, Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Thursday.
( Reuters, 11/21/2002 07:41 PM EST)

Israeli Troops Raze Hamas Home in Gaza
Israeli troops, backed by 40 tanks and armored cars, dynamited the home of an Islamic militant in a Gaza village on Friday, Palestinian witnesses said.
( Reuters, 11/21/2002 07:26 PM EST)

Space Shuttle Endeavour Ready for Friday Liftoff
NASA declared the space shuttle Endeavour fit to fly after a collision between its 50-foot robot arm and a service platform put Friday's launch into doubt, the space agency said on Thursday.
( BY BROWARD LISTON, Reuters, 11/21/2002 07:22 PM EST)

Cannabis Linked to Depression, Schizophrenia
Smoking cannabis increases the odds of suffering from depression and schizophrenia, doctors said on Friday. The occasional joint may not be harmful, but people who start using cannabis in their teens have a higher risk of later being diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder and the severity of the illness is linked to the length of exposure to the drug.
( BY PATRICIA REANEY, Reuters, 11/21/2002 07:03 PM EST)

Folic Acid Can Help Prevent Heart Disease, Stroke
Daily supplements of folic acid or foods fortified with the vitamin can help to prevent heart disease, stroke and blood clots, particularly in high-risk patients, researchers said on Friday.
( BY PATRICIA REANEY, Reuters, 11/21/2002 07:03 PM EST)

Deaths Feared in Anti-Miss World Riots in Nigeria
A number of people were feared to have died in the northern Nigerian city of Kaduna amid rioting stoked by Muslim fury over the country's staging of the Miss World pageant next month.
( BY ANDREW FADASON, Reuters, 11/21/2002 07:00 PM EST)

Gales Hamper Spain's Clean-Up from Tanker Oil Spill
Fierce gales and huge waves kept clean-up vessels in port on Wednesday as another oil slick from the sunken tanker Prestige menaced Spain's northwest coast, already polluted by hundreds of tons of toxic fuel oil.
( BY ADRIAN CROFT, Reuters, 11/21/2002 06:02 PM EST)

Top Al-Qaeda Leader Captured, Officials Say
Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, described as al Qaeda's chief in the Gulf and suspected of planning the bombing of the American warship USS Cole, is in U.S. custody, officials said Thursday.
( BY TABASSUM ZAKARIA, Reuters, 11/21/2002 05:32 PM EST)

Reuters Health Summary
Men's Deep Throat Linked to Sleep Problems Men are more likely than women to develop breathing problems during sleep that can seriously cut into their quality 'z' time, and new research suggests that one portion of the male anatomy may be to blame.
( Reuters, 11/21/2002 05:23 PM EST)

Suicide Bomber Kills 11 in Israeli Bus Blast
A Palestinian militant killed 11 people and wounded 49 when he blew himself up on a crowded bus in Jerusalem Thursday in the first suicide bombing in Israel since the start of a general election campaign.
( BY TIMOTHY HERITAGE, Reuters, 11/21/2002 05:11 PM EST)

Genome Pioneer to Try to Build Artificial Life
A scientist who helped lead the way in mapping the human genome said on Thursday he was taking on a new project -- trying to create a partly artificial life form.
( BY MAGGIE FOX, HEALTH AND SCIENCE CORRESPONDENT, Reuters, 11/21/2002 05:09 PM EST)

Stocks Fly After Hewlett Forecast, Data
Stocks soared for the second-straight session on Thursday after computer giant Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ.N) surprised Wall Street with an upbeat revenue forecast and government data pointed to a stronger economy.
( BY CHELSEA EMERY, Reuters, 11/21/2002 04:30 PM EST)

American Missionary Shot Dead in Lebanon
A suspected Islamist gunman shot dead an American woman missionary with three bullets to the head at a church clinic in southern Lebanon on Thursday, security officials and aid workers said.
( BY CYNTHIA JOHNSTON, Reuters, 11/21/2002 04:15 PM EST)

NATO Powers United on Iraqi Arms, Divided on War
NATO leaders issued a united declaration of support on Thursday for efforts to disarm Iraq, papering over deep differences on the U.S. threat to go to war.
( BY STEVE HOLLAND AND HAITHAM HADDADIN, Reuters, 11/21/2002 04:12 PM EST)

Missouri declares Republican Senate victor
Missouri formally certified Republican Jim Talent as its U.S. Senate victor on Thursday, making him eligible to take office, but with Congress all but adjourned he will have to settle for being first in line to be sworn in next year.
( Reuters, 11/21/2002 04:02 PM EST)

Kuwaiti Policeman Shoots Two U.S. Soldiers
A Kuwaiti policeman shot and seriously wounded two U.S. soldiers Thursday, the Kuwaiti government said, in the latest in a series of shootings targeting U.S. troops training near the Iraqi border.
( BY ANDREW MARSHALL, Reuters, 11/21/2002 03:53 PM EST)

Waterborne Illness on the Rise in U.S., CDC Says
Outbreaks of waterborne disease are increasing in the United States, underscoring a need to monitor unregulated drinking water systems and exercise healthier swimming practices, federal health officials said on Thursday.
( BY KAREN JACOBS, Reuters, 11/21/2002 03:42 PM EST)

Regional Factory Rebound Raises Hopes
A rebound in manufacturing in the U.S. mid-Atlantic region and a decline in weekly jobless claims raised hopes on Thursday that the country's economy may be dragging itself out of its recent doldrums.
( BY VICTORIA THIEBERGER, Reuters, 11/21/2002 03:33 PM EST)