US president George Bush apologised to Chinese president Hu Jintao for a protest during an elaborate welcoming ceremony on the White House lawn.

The Secret Service called off an alert at the White House, Washington DC, an hour after a man tossed a suspicious package onto the compound’s North Lawn, officials said.

An Arab-American secret service agent assigned to US President George W Bush’s security team was removed from an American Airlines flight after the pilot questioned his credentials.

The Secret Service is investigating two vials containing salmonella that were sent to Bill Clinton.