A French physicist arrested last week while working at the world’s largest atom smasher has acknowledged to investigators that he corresponded over the internet with a contact in North Africa’s al-Qaida branch.

A scientist working at the giant European CERN atom smasher laboratory has been held on suspicion of being linked to al-Qaida, it emerged today.

The planned restart of the world’s largest atom smasher has been delayed, its operator said today.

Engineers have finished the major work of fixing the broken "Big Bang" machine, the largest scientific instrument ever built.

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) near Geneva will be out of action until the Spring while engineers investigate a fault, it was announced.

A flawless start to the “Big Bang” experiment that will re-enact the first moments of the universe was hailed as a triumph by scientists involved in the project today.

Scientists today launched the "Big Bang experiment" - an attempt to recreate the start of the universe using the biggest and most complex machine yet built.

Scientists will "switch on" the most powerful particle accelerator ever built today in an attempt to answer some of the biggest unanswered questions in physics.