NEW YORK – Federal authorities yesterday arrested two men  linked to a suspected al Qaeda-inspired bomb plot after one of  them led the FBI on a high-speed chase during which he invoked  the name of Allah in a 911 call, a law-enforcement source said.

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DETROIT – A federal judge yesterday entered a not guilty  plea on behalf of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the 23-year-old  Nigerian accused of an attempt to blow up a Detroit-bound  jetliner that has prompted a sweeping review of U.S. security  procedures.

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KABUL – A defiant Afghan President Hamid Karzai defended his  record on corruption in an interview broadcast yesterday, saying  the issue that has damaged his reputation had been “blown out of  proportion” by Western media.

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LONDON – A failed attempt to oust Gordon Brown has damaged  the British prime minister and his Labour Party and boosted the  opposition Conservatives ahead of an election due by June,  according to an opinion poll yesterday.

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BRUSSELS – Candidates for posts in the next European  Commission will be closely questioned on policy and plans to  pull Europe out of economic crisis when the European Parliament  opens confirmation hearings next week.