WORLD BRIEFS

JORDAN: 11 held in 'major' terror plot

A major terrorist plot by al-Qaida-linked operatives to make near-simultaneous attacks on civilian and government targets in Jordan, reportedly including the U.S. Embassy in Amman, has been disrupted, officials said Sunday. The government said 11 people with connections to al-Qaida's affiliate in Iraq have been arrested. The foiled attack, described as the most serious plot uncovered in Jordan since 2005, was viewed with particular alarm by intelligence agencies because of its sophisticated design and the planned use of munitions intended for the Syria conflict, a new sign that Syria's troubles could be spilling over into neighboring countries, the officials said. The alleged plotters are Jordanian nationals.

GAZA CITY: Emir of Qatar to visit

The ruler of Qatar is expected in the Gaza Strip this week, in what would be a major stamp of legitimacy for the territory's Islamic militant Hamas rulers. Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani would be the first head of state to arrive since Hamas seized Gaza five years ago. The leader of the Gulf emirate is also to launch $254 million worth of construction projects, including three roads, a hospital and a new town that will bring thousands of jobs to the impoverished territory. Hamas' Palestinian opponents in the West Bank fear that any gestures that strengthen Hamas' hold on Gaza will make the Islamists less inclined to end the Palestinian political rift.

VATICAN CITY: 2 Americans become saints

Some 80,000 pilgrims flooded St. Peter's Square on Sunday as Pope Benedict XVI added seven more saints to the roster of Catholic role models. Two of the new saints were Americans: Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American saint from the United States, and Mother Marianne Cope, a 19th century Franciscan nun who cared for leprosy patients in Hawaii. A third saint, Pedro Calungsod, a 17th century Filipino teenage martyr, seemed to draw the biggest crowd, with Rome's sizable Filipino expat community turning out in droves for their second saint.