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General Assembly elects Ban Ki-moon as next UN chief South Korean Ban Ki-Moon, 68, has been endorsed unanimously by the general assembly to succeed Kofi Annan as secretary-general of the United Nations, on October 13. "Friday the 13" Buffalo, New York snow storm in pictures At least 340,000 people and businesses are still without power as the City of Buffalo, New York begins to clean up after the worst October lake effect snow storm in "137 years of records" being kept, according to the National Weather Service.

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New roadmap unveiled for Northern Ireland devolution Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and British Prime Minister Tony Blair have unveiled a new roadmap for the Northern Ireland devolution process. The roadmap sets a target date for a new Northern Ireland Executive to be set up.

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Six Palestinians from the armed wing of the militant group Hamas have been killed in an Israeli incursion into the Gaza Strip, Palestinian officials say. Thousands of people have been attending mass ceremonies in India at which hundreds of low-caste Hindus (Dalits) converted to Buddhism and Christianity. The United Nations Security Council adopts Resolution 1718, imposing sanctions on North Korea in response to their recent nuclear test. North Korea's ambassador to the United Nations, Pak Kil-yon, says Pyongyang "totally rejects" United Nations Security Council Resolution 1718 sanctioning his country. President of the United States George W. Bush says the UN Security Council has sent a clear message to North Korea about its nuclear weapons program. A re-enactment of the Battle of Hastings takes place in Sussex, UK to mark the 940th anniversary of the event which saw William of Normandy's forces defeat the Saxon army of King Harold II, and began the Norman conquest of England. Maria Borelius, Minister for Foreign Trade in the Cabinet of Fredrik Reinfeldt in Sweden, resigns after one week in office following allegations of tax evasion.

A Mediterranean diet is typically rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, cereals and fish and contains less dairy and meat, with a moderate fat and alcohol intake.
Mediterranean diet reduces risk of Alzheimer's disease, study concludes
U.S. scientists prospectively analysed the health and eating pattern of 2,258 study participants and found a link between a Mediterranean diet and a decreased risk of Alzheimer's disease, the most common cause of dementia.

Participants were scored on their use of fruits, vegetables, legumes, cereals and fish (which were considered beneficial in this study), and dairy products and meat, which were regarded as being detrimental to the subjects health. A moderate fat and alcohol intake was also considered part of a typical Mediterranean diet. Potential statistical confounders such as age, sex, ethnicity, education, Apo E genotype, caloric intake and body mass index were taken into account.

"This large study in a leading journal adds to the growing weight of evidence that diet and lifestyle are very important risk factors for Alzheimer's disease." was the reaction of Professor Clive Ballard of the Alzheimer's Society.

Romania through to 2007 Rugby World Cup in France
Romania have qualified for the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France, finishing at the top of their pool during the Round 5 of the European qualifying tournaments. Romania won their first qualifying match on October 7, defeating Georgia in Bucharest 20-8. Their 43-20 win over Spain in Madrid on October 14 ensured that they qualified directly for the World Cup next year.

Romania qualified as Europe 2, joining Pool C where they will face the All Blacks, Scotland and Italy, as well as one other nation yet to qualify (Repechage 1). Romania have thus far competed at every Rugby World Cup, since the first one was held in 1987. Romania's best result is one win during the pool stages, which it has achieved at every World Cup thus far.

One of the other two nations in Round 5 can still qualify for France next year, and Georgia and Spain will meet eachother in Tblisi on October 28 which will determine who finishes second in the pool and advances to Round 6. There they will face the winner from the other pool from Round 5 for the Europe 3 qualification path. The loser of Round 6 can then still qualify through repechage. Both nations have been to the World Cup previously, Spain in 1999 and Georgia in 2003.

Example "TWELV" time display with translation New method of displaying time patented
An American inventor has patented a pair of new time formats with a footprint less than 50% of that of conventional four-digit time. The more unusual of the two new formats, called "TWELV", dispenses with numerals altogether. In place of clock hands or digits, the new clock uses color to convey the hour and a moon image to convey the minute, which moon slowly grows throughout the course of an hour from a narrow crescent to a full-fledged circle.

The second and more approachable of the new formats retains numerical digits to indicate the minute but uses colors to convey the hour.

Early critics question whether the aesthetic benefits of the moon-clock will be sufficient to encourage users to learn the color-based time-telling system. However, the size advantages of the new system may make it particularly suitable for mobile applications, particularly cell phones, wearable computers, and head-mounted displays.

Nobel Peace Prize to Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank
The microcredit Grameen Bank and its creator, Muhammad Yunus, are jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize "for their efforts to create economic and social development from below."

Most people were expecting the founder to be nominated for the Economics Nobel prize but the Norwegian Nobel Institute decided to award him the Peace Prize because of attempt to destroy poverty, emphatizing on women who have to "struggle against repressive social and economic conditions".

Yunus from Bangladesh, told "We want the same kind of unity in politics like the unity that has been created by the Nobel prize award," at a press conference at the Bank's office in the suburbs of capital Dhaka.

In 2005, the Nobel Peace Prize was also awarded jointly to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Mohamed ElBaradei (محمد البرادعي) (Egypt).

Man on American Idol sentenced to three years probation
A man was sentenced to three years probation after both him and his mother argued about "American Idol", a popular TV show in the U.S.

Favreau hit his mother with a novelty bike chain in May after she expressed praise for last years runnerup Katherine McPhee. She was treated for a cut on her head and was released, Police say.

Twenty-five-year-old Cory Favreau of Plattsburgh, New York pleaded guilty to third-degree assault. He also pleaded guilty to a contempt charge for violating a court order to stay away from his mother.

U.S. outlaws online gambling
Over the weekend, millions of Americans faced the new ban of online gambling.

The political ploy of Rep. Bill Frist to attach the bill to the must-pass Port Security bill, reportedly worked out well.

Many of the public companies that offer online gambling have been quick to react and give their outlooks on the legislature. Party Gaming and 888 among others have said that they will shut down all U.S. operations if President Bush signs the bill into law. This sent online gambling stocks tumbling with Party Gaming leading the way with a 55% decrease in market value.

The people involved are awaiting to see what happens over the next few weeks.

Mitch Garber, Chief Executive Officer of PartyGaming:

"This development is a significant setback for our company, our shareholders, our players and our industry. While US horse race betting, state lotteries, fantasy contests and certain other online gaming activities have been exclusively protected under the new law, we are disappointed that the popularity and skill of poker in particular have not also been specifically protected. The Board respects the laws of the US Government, and will continue to analyse their applicability, but also continues to believe that a regulatory framework for online gaming, including poker and casino gaming is the only sustainable long term solution."

UltimateBet:

"UltimateBet continues to be available for play by all members of the online community worldwide, including US players. The new US legislation, expected to be signed on Friday, October 13, does not prohibit the online community playing online poker. At UltimateBet, it’s business as usual. All players’ deposits are held safely in a segregated account at a Tier 1 legal institution."

Thai insurgents behead man in presence of daughter
In a grizly attack, suspected to be the work of Muslim separatists, a 45 year old migrant worker has been killed in southern Thailand.

According to reports in Thai media, insurgents entered the shrimp farm where the Burmese man worked and shot him after blindfolding his daughter. Following his murder his head was severed from his body and deposited some 20km away. Police Colonel Thawan commented to the Bangkok Post that the severed head was booby-trapped.

"Friday the 13" Buffalo, New York snow storm in pictures
Buffalo, New York – At least 340,000 people and businesses are still without power as the City of Buffalo, New York begins to clean up after the worst October lake effect snow storm in "137 years of records" being kept, according to the National Weather Service. The NOAA calls the weather event "unprecedented." Power in many areas may not be fixed until early next week. Electric crews from Massachusetts and Rhode Island have been called in to assist in the clean-up efforts.

Hundreds of trees in Buffalo and the surrounding suburbs such as Amherst and Tonawanda are severely damaged and in many cases have to be cut down completely.

Erie County has been declared a natural disaster area and the Mayor of Buffalo, Byron Brown said in a press conference yesterday that the city and county will file several applications for federal aid and assistance with FEMA.

A local business, the Lexington Co-op on Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo had to throw out nearly every parishable good in the store afer being without power for almost 2 days. It is not known when the power will be fully restored.

These pictures are just some of the very widespread damage caused by the storm. Many were taken within less than 1 mile from Forest and Elmwood in Buffalo.

Controversy-plagued Element 118, the heaviest atom yet, finally discovered
Element 118 has been created in experiments conducted at the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions in Dubna, Russia by a collaboration of researchers from Russia's Joint Institute for Nuclear Research and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California.

Element 118, the heaviest element yet found, was produced through collisions that fused together Californium and Calcium atoms. Although element 118 is too unstable to detect directly, the presence of daughter elements resulting from the decay of element 118 gave clues to its fleeting existence.

Researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory previously reported the synthesis of element 118 in 1999, and later retracted their results when subsequent experiments failed to confirm their discovery. It was alleged that the a researcher, Victor Ninov, fabricated the experimental data that indicated the formation of element 118 atoms.

The discovery was reported in the American Physical Society journal Physical Review C on October 9, 2006.

New roadmap unveiled for Northern Ireland devolution
Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and British Prime Minister Tony Blair have unveiled a new roadmap for the Northern Ireland devolution process. The roadmap sets a target date for a new Northern Ireland Executive to be set up.

The roadmap, known as the Saint Andrews Agreement, came after three days of intense talks in St. Andrews, Scotland. The agreement gaves dates for the steps to devolution culimnating on March 26, 2007 when the Executive is to be fully up and running.

The first deadline is on November 10th, 2006 during which time both parties must accept the agreement and for the first time in the history of the party, the Democratic Unionist Party will cast a vote for their rivals, Sinn Fein.

The second deadline is on November 27, 2006 in which the Northern Ireland Assembly, would gather to elect the first minister and deputy first minister of the Executive. The first minister is speculated by many to be Ian Paisley, the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party. The deputy first minister is speculated to be Martin McGuinness, the deputy leader of Sinn Fein.

One of the key issues is Sinn Fein's recognition of the Police Service of Northern Island, which replaced the controverisal Royal Ulster Constabulary. In a reassurance to unionists, the goverments said they will not transfer duties over to the executive till 2008. Sinn Fein demanded an immediate transfer of power, possibly to a Sinn Fein minister. "You can't have a democratic society unless the police are given full support," Blair said.

After the election of ministers, three steps will take place. The Democratic Unionists will be given time to observe Sinn Fein and see if they are accepting policing. Also, in Janurary, the Independent Monitoring Commission will give another report on the stauts of the Provisional Irish Republican Army revocation of violence.

Finally in March, an electoral endorsement of the Saint Andrews Agreement will take place be it either through election or referendum. Most of the participants at the summit favored a referendum, except for Ian Paisley, according to an anoynoums source who wished not be identified as he no authorization to release details publicly.

The last two final steps take place in March 2007. On March 14, the nomination of the Executive will take place.

Finally, if all goes well, the Northern Ireland Executive power-sharing goverment and full devolved Northern Ireland Assembly would be revived and take power on March 26, 2007. However, if the parties fail to set up the Executive or fail to agree "at any stage", the Assembly will be dissolved and direct rule from London will continue with input from the Republic of Ireland.

Tony Blair said the essential parts of the agreement are that all parties accept policing and the courts and have a clear agreement on power-sharing. "So those are the two essential parts of it," Mr Blair said.

Ian Paisley, the notorious hardliner evangelist who has made his political career out of saying no to comprehensive reforms, eschewed his trademark fire-brand rhetoric offered a welcome and said that the province is "at a crossroads." Paisley said of Ulster, "a place where there is a road to democracy and where there is a road to anarchy." Further adding, "I trust that we will see in the coming days the vast majority of people taking the road to democracy."

Blair also added, "We've been through different parts of this process many times over the past few years but I think this is a sound basis to proceed." He also said on the possible election of Paisley and McGuinness to their minister positions, "I do not think anybody will find it easy to sit in an executive with people who they are deeply opposed to, or indeed hostile to."

Referring to Sinn Fein, Paisley stated "We will meet the requirements. But the IRA-Sinn Fein has got to meet those requirements. And when they do, we will really be on the way to peace in Northern Ireland." Paisley left St. Andrews quickly after attending the press conference in order to be with his family for his fiftieth wedding anniversary.

Sinn Fein leader, Gerry Adams offered a guarded welcome of the plans and stated "requires thoughtful consideration and consultation." He made no mention of policing. However, he stated the restoration of power-sharing was an "an enormous prize. Common sense, political realism and the interests of all sections of our people demand that we achieve this."

Sir Reg Empey, the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party said that the agreement was "Belfast for slower learners." He added "Sinn Fein will sign up to the PSNI being the only force of law and order and Ian Paisley, or a colleague, will share the joint office of first and deputy first minister with Martin McGuinness in a mandatory coalition."

Leader of the more moderate nationalist Social Democratic and Labour Party, Mark Durkan stated that welcome progress had been made in devolution and that his party would continue working towards this.

The leader of the cross-community non-sectarian Alliance Party of Northern Ireland, David Ford said of the summit that the outcome of the summit was a mix of "of challenges and opportunities". He added, "Despite all that remains to be done, there is now at least a sense of hope for a shared future."

Direct rule from London has been in place since 2002 over allegations of IRA spying ring inside the Assembly.

Cheetahs and Blue Bulls draw 28-28 in Currie Cup rugby final
The 2006 Currie Cup domestic rugby union final ended in a draw, with the Free State Cheetahs and Blue Bulls drawing 28-all after 20 minutes of extra-time at Vodacom Park in Bloemfontein. The last time a Currie Cup final ended in a draw was in the 1989 season. The game was played in front of a packed Vodacom Park, with all tickets being sold out on the first day.

The final was the first in Bloemfountain since the 1994 season at Springbok Park, where Transvaal defeated the Free State team. The 2006 final is the third in succession which features both the Blue Bulls and Cheetahs, with the teams being the finalists since the 2004 season. The Blue Bulls won the 2004 final at Loftus Versfeld, and then in 2005 the Cheetahs defeated them at Loftus in the final. The 2006 season kicked off in June, with the regular season finishing after 14 rounds in late September. The Cheetahs finished in first place on the season table, with the Blue Bulls behind them in second place. The Blue Bulls defeated Western Province in the semi finals, with the Cheetahs defeating the Sharks to win theirs to set up the final.

The scoring opened up in the third minute with a penalty kick to the Cheetahs through Willem de Waal. Successful with the kick, the Cheetahs opened up a three point lead over the Bulls. Phillip Burger scored for the Cheetahs, and JP Nel scored his side's first try of the match, three minutes before halftime. However the conversion attempt was wide. The Cheetahs entered the halftime break leading the Bulls 14 points to eight.

Four minutes into the second half the Blue Bulls scored their second try, with Marius Delport gathering up a kick to score. Morné Steyn kicked the conversion, taking the score to 15 to 14, making it the first time in the match that the Blue Bulls were leading. The Cheetahs took back the lead in the 49th minute, with another penalty kick to take them to 17-15. A long range kick from the Blue Bulls put them back in front in the 55th minute, to lead by one point, 18-17. The Cheetahs hit back through Kabamba Floors, scoring a try minutes later. The Cheetahs extended their lead in the 60th minute with another penalty kick. With three minutes remaining, Nel scored his second try and Steyn kicked the conversion to draw the Blue Bulls level 25-all with around two minutes left in the match.

After 80 minutes the game was taken into extra time after a short break in play. The Blue Bulls were awarded a penalty after three minutes of extra time and Steyn kicked it successfully to take the Blue Bulls to 28-25. The Cheetahs came close to equalising in the seveth minute of extra time with a penalty kick, but the ball hit the upright and bounced away. Meyer Bosman kicked a penalty for the Cheetahs in the 14th minute of extra play, drawing the scores equal at 28-all. The game ended soon after, ending in a draw.

Benedict XVI meets Dalai-Lama
The very long lasting previous pope, John Paul II, had met eight times with the Dalai Lama but the recently elected pope did not talk to him before yesterday.

The visit was "private" and focused exclusively on "religious" matters, a Vatican spokesman said.

The Vatican has kept a low profile on past visits by the Dalai Lama, including his last in 2003 with John Paul II, to avoid a further chill with China.

China's government bars Catholics from having contact with the Vatican and allows worship only in government-monitored churches. Millions remain loyal to the pope and worship in secret, but priests and other members of congregations are frequently detained and harassed.

The pope also met with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi earlier in the day, as well as Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski yesterday, both of them were documented on the Vatican's Web site.

The pope's meeting with the Tibetan leader was not listed among his official audiences. Journalists were kept well away and no pictures of the encounter have been released. The Vatican has not released any details of the visit.

Italy qualify for 2007 Rugby World Cup in France
Italy have qualified for the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France. Italy began their qualification process in Round 5 of the European tournaments. The Italians went through relatively easily, finishing with a 150-7 aggregate score over their only two games.

Italy in Pool A of Round 5, won their first match against Portugal 83 points to nil in L'Aquila on October 7. The following week they defeated Russia 67 to 7 in Moscow, sealing top position in the pool and sending them into next year's World Cup as Europe 1.

Italy enters Pool C of the World Cup, alongside the All Blacks of New Zealand and Scotland, as well as two other nations that have yet to qualify (Europe 2 and Repechage 1). Italy have appeared at every World Cup since the first tournament in 1987, their best result being in 2003 with two wins. Portugal and Russia both can still qualify for the World Cup, with the nations meeting next week in Lisbon. The second placed team in the pool will advance to Round 6 to play the runner-up of Pool B.

"One-litre car" may help traffic pollution
Professors at the Energy Science Centre, attached to the Federal Institute of Technology (FIT) in Zurich, have presented their contribution of a car quite similar to Loremo able to travel 100 kilometres (around 62 miles) on a tank with just 1 litre (around 1 quart). They presented their contribution during Swiss Energy Week.

The automobile, which has and will be manufactured by the Swiss company Horlacher, is 75% lighter than an average family car and guzzles a tenth of the fuel thanks to vastly improved aerodynamics.

One drawback to this car is that it has none of the modern safety features found in many cars to-day. But the FIT team is designing technology that lets cars communicate with each other to avoid collisions, using similar computer systems to those in aircraft.

"This car does compromise on style, speed and comfort, but you can't have a free lunch," says Lino Guzzella, one of the centre's members

"Business as usual is no longer an option. If we are to survive in the future, we will have to drastically reduce carbon emissions." Guzzella continued.

There are approximately 800 million cars on this planet and in Switzerland there are 500 cars per 1,000 people, compared with 800 in the United States and less than 50 per 1,000 in India and China.

The Polybahn which taked people up to the University area which includes the FIT

Swiss drivers also favour more powerful, polluting vehicles than the rest of western Europe. According to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, the main lobbying group of the automobile industry in the European Union, the average car in Switzerland has a 2 litre engine compared with 1.6 litres in neighbouring countries.

"The Swiss think they are better at cutting harmful emissions than anyone else, but they are not," says researcher Peter de Haan van der Weg.

He believes Switzerland should introduce incentives to make people buy cleaner cars. Some countries already have such schemes: the US awards tax breaks worth up to $3,000 and the Netherlands offers €6,000 to green car owners.

The Swiss authorities are currently thinking about two similar options presented by the city of Bern and the centre-left Social Democratic Party.

"Individuals are not capable of understanding the big picture because it is difficult for people to look 50 years into the future," Mr. De Haan van der Weg said.

"Therefore it is necessary to have government regulations to force changes that will benefit the environment."

General Assembly elects Ban Ki-moon as next UN chief
South Korean Ban Ki-Moon, 68, has been endorsed unanimously by the general assembly to succeed Kofi Annan as the secretary-general of the United Nations, on October 13.

He will take the position of Secretary General on January 1.

When asked by assembly president Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa to adopt the resolution by an oral vote, the room filled with hundreds of diplomats and UN staff clapping loudly. A formal vote was not conducted as the decision was unanimous.

She banged her gavel after the vote and said, “It is so decided. I have the honor to announce that His Excellency Ban Ki-Moon has been appointed by acclamation secretary-general of the United Nations. This is a historic day for the organization as it continues to evolve and live up to the values and principles of the [UN] Charter.”

At the time of the decision itself, the South Korean was the only candidate for the job - when informal polls were carried out within the UN, the other five individuals fared so badly that they all dropped out of the leadership race.

"I will work diligently to materialise our responsibility to protect the most vulnerable members of humanity and for the peaceful resolution of threats to international security and regional stability," Mr. Ban told the Assembly.

"The true measure of success for the UN is not how much we promise, but how much we deliver for those who need us most."

"The UN is needed now more than ever before."

Mr. Ban, the first Asian Secretary General since U Thant from Burma, said he was committed to meeting U.N. Millennium Development Goals, expanding peace operations and dealing with threats posed by terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, HIV/AIDS and other pandemics, environmental degradation and protecting human rights.

He also mentioned reform of the UN something that the United States - the organisation's biggest financial supporter - has long called for. However, the new Secretary General made clear that any changes would occur at his own pace.

"We reform not to please others, but because we value what this organisation stands for," he said.

"We cannot change everything at once. But if we choose wisely, and work together transparently, flexibly and honestly, progress in a few areas will lead to progress in a few more."

Kofi Annan, 68, described Ban as "a future secretary-general who is exceptionally attuned to the sensitivities of countries and constituencies in every continent. A man with a truly global mind at the helm of the world's only universal organisation."

He added that he wished Ban strength and courage as he prepared to take over the job and to "have fun along the way."

"We believe he is the right person to lead the United Nations at this decisive moment in its history, particularly as the UN struggles to fulfill the terms of the reform agenda that world leaders agreed to last fall," U.S. Ambassador John Bolton told the assembly.

Israeli Ambassador Danny Gillerman said that it was good for Israel's standing in the organization.

"If the secretary general is serious and fair and appoints underlings who are serious and fair, and the UN will be serious, clean and organized, this will be good for the Jews," said Mr. Gillerman.

Mr Ban will hold the position for five years until the next election in 2011.

UN security council to vote on North Korean sanctions
The United Nations security council is expected to vote later today on whether to impose sanctions on North Korea after the country announced its first nuclear bomb test last week. The current draft of the resolution would ban North Korea from importing any materials that could be used in the construction of nuclear weapons, it would also restrict international travel of those involved in the countries weapons program and their family members. The five permanent members of the council and Japan met on Friday morning to discuss the wording of the bill which should be put to a vote by the full fifteen members this afternoon.

The ban also covers the purchase of large scale conventional weaponry (such as tanks, ships, aircraft and missiles) but falls short of an outright ban on the import of military hardware. Imports of luxury goods will also be restricted. In the financial sector the resolution will also authorise the freezing of assets belonging to those suspected of involvement with North Korea's weapons program.

The new resolution will come five days after North Korea announced its first nuclear weapons test on Monday. The test has come under international condemnation, for which North Korea has blamed the United States. State news channel KNCA said that the United States "hostile policy ... has gone beyond the tolerance limit and a dangerous atmosphere of confrontation, reminiscent of that on the eve of war, is now prevailing on the Korean Peninsula." In response a Christopher Hill, US Assistant Secretary of State for the area, called the comments "belligerent threats" and said that the US was not nervous of them.

A year ago North Korea walked out of 'six-party' talks (between both Koreas, the United States, China, Russia and Japan) that were set up to rid Pyonyang of it's nuclear program in return for economic incentives. The Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Alexander Alexyev, said that North Korea was now willing to rejoin the talks, previously the country had left in protest over US financial sanctions.

Today's vote may be delayed by Russia and China who have requested last minute alterations to the bill. Although U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said last night that the changes were "technical" and that the vote would only be delayed by a few hours. The objections by the two countries appears to centre around the possible use of military personnel to enforce the resolution. China wish to ensure that the bill cannot be used (under Chapter 7 of the UN charter) as grounds or justification for military action against North Korea. They are also said to be worried about the wording of a section of the text that would allow nations to search any cargo to or from North Korea.

In the event of action against North Korea or for the countries economy to be hit China may suffer the most out of all of the nations on the council. They fear the influx of refugees into the country.

Canadian PM: Liberal leadership hopefuls 'anti-Israeli'
Michael Ignatieff, the frontrunner in the Liberal leadership race, said that "Israel" committed a war crime when it bombarded the Lebanese village of Qana in July.

The Prime Minister is upset by this comment and called all of the leadership hopefuls anti-Israeli.

"This is consistent with the anti-Israeli position that has been taken with virtually all of the candidates of the Liberal leadership, and I don't think it's helpful or useful," said Harper, who has refused to back down from his comment. "I think we all remember last summer when the Liberals were making all these anti-Israeli comments."

As of today, 24 countries do not recognise the existence of Israel.

Harper told reporters that only two candidates of the eight Liberal leadership candidates who had distanced themselves from such remarks at the time were Joe Volpe and Scott Brison.

Ignatieff said yesterday that "it would be up to international bodies to determine whether Israel had committed war crimes at Qana." He also said he thought both sides in the conflict were guilty of crimes against civilians and that it is disgraceful for Harper to suggest the Liberals were anti-Israeli.

"Canadians deserve a prime minister that helps Canadians from all communities to find a common language in which we can speak about difficult issues together," Ignatieff said. "All communities in Canada have a right to contribute to the public debate about where Canada's national interest lies but no community has the right to determine what can and cannot be said." "And no prime minister has the right to say that anyone who voices criticism of Israel is an enemy of Israel."

Liberal MP Ariela Cotler, whose husband Irwin Cotler is supporting Bob Rae's campaign, announced that she has quit the party over Ignatieff's assertion that Israel committed war crimes. Ignatieff lacks "moral integrity" and accused him of "sacrificing the truth for personal political gains in the upcoming leadership election." She said she "and many of her friends" are no longer planning to attend the Liberals' December leadership convention in Montreal, Ariela Cotler said on Friday, in a letter to the editor in the National Post.

Ignatieff's comment last week has also cost him the co-chair of his Toronto campaign, MP Susan Kadis, who withdrew her support from his leadership bid on Wednesday.

Canadian Jewish groups criticized the candidate for his comments. Israel's ambassador to Canada, Alan Baker, said Thursday that Ignatieff's statement was "upsetting and disappointing."

Bob Rae, commenting on the PM's remarks, said it is dangerous "to suggest there is a pro-Israel party in Canada and an anti-Israel party in Canada."

"It's untrue. It's a big lie. It's a big smear. And it isn't going to work on me. And if he thinks he can get away with it, he's sadly mistaken," Mr. Rae said. "It's just a basically thoughtless, deeply divisive thing to say, and I think it's something we to have to put a stop to right now. That's it. We cannot carry on politics in this country like this. It will not work. It divides Canadians. It's something for which he should be thoroughly embarrassed."

Stéphane Dion, one of the leadership candidates, said the Prime Minister insulted everyone who wanted to see a ceasefire in the fighting between Israel and Lebanon.

"He is insulting all the people that legitimately thought that the solution was a ceasefire. And these people are not anti-Israel. The vast majority of them, they thought that the best way to help a friend was to request a ceasefire," Mr. Dion said. "I will not allow the Prime Minister to distort what was said in so shameful a way."

Gerard Kennedy, another leadership candidate, described Mr. Harper's "brand of politics as creating divisions within the country and diminishing Canada's reputation" abroad. He said it was unfair and unacceptable to brand the Liberal Party as anti-Israel, and damaging to the quality of public life in the country.

Mr. Ignatieff said his initial comments on Qana were "ripped flagrantly out of context."

Mr. Ignatieff said he's accepted a Jewish group's invitation to visit the Middle East next month to discuss longterm peace solutions, and will meet with the Israeli prime minister as well as Palestinian leaders.

Today in History
1066 - Battle of Hastings: The Norman invasion forces of William the Conqueror defeated the English army and killed Harold Godwinson, the last crowned Anglo-Saxon king of England.

1773 - The first recorded ministry of education, the Commission of National Education, was formed in Poland.

1947 - Flying a Bell X-1, test pilot Chuck Yeager became the first person to break the sound barrier.

1953 - Qibya massacre: Israeli military commander Ariel Sharon and his Unit 101 special forces were ordered to "inflict heavy damage on the inhabitants" of a village on the West Bank.

1981 - Hosni Mubarak was elected President of Egypt, one week after Anwar Sadat was assassinated.

October 15 is Simchat Torah in Judaism begins at sunset (2006), Teachers' Day in Poland.

Quote of the Day

In all life one should comfort the afflicted, but verily, also, one should afflict the comfortable, and especially when they are comfortably, contentedly, even happily wrong.
~ John Kenneth Galbraith

Word of the Day

reticent; adj

Keeping one's thoughts and opinions to oneself; reserved or restrained.

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2006-10-14T21:49:58