The Israeli government authorized the army last night to “remove” Yasser Arafat and gave its security services a green light to move against the 74 year-old Palestinian leader “in a manner, and at a time, of its choosing.”

Arafat who has been trapped in his office for a year and a half by Israel declared that no one will “kick me out,” after thousands of Palestinians poured into streets throughout the West Bank and Gaza to support him.

A spokesman for the Arab league described the move as ” tantamount to a declaration of war.”

The Jerusalem Post, the No. 1 English-language newspaper in Israel, editorialized: “We must kill as many of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders as possible, as quickly possible, while minimizing collateral damage, but not letting that damage stop us. And we must kill Yasser Arafat, because the world leaves us no alternative.”

The Financial Times is reporting that the Senate may use a rarely used congressional “resolution of disapproval” that would overturn all of the new media ownership regulations approved by the Federal Communications Commission in June.

The rules — which were heavily lobbied for by the major TV networks — are expected to result in great media consolidation.

North Dakota Senator Byron Dorgan said, “The FCC’s action was one of the most complete cave-ins to corporate interests I’ve ever seen by what is supposed to be a federal regulatory agency.” He went on to say “The FCC ignored the public in their process. In Congress the public interest will be served.”

In Britain, a parliamentary report was issued yesterday that found Prime Minister Tony Blair backed the Iraq invasion even though Britain’s top intelligence agencies were warning that the invasion would increase the risk of terrorists obtaining weapons of mass destruction.

A new Los Angeles Times poll has found that California voters are nearly split on whether to recall Governor Gray Davis. If Davis is recalled, the poll found Democratic frontrunner Cruz Bustamante would win by beating Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger by margin of 30 percent to 25 percent.

The BBC is reporting that in Fallujah Iraq, U.S. soldiers yesterday mistakenly shot dead eight Iraqi security personnel at a checkpoint.

And this news just in from Iraq, two U.S. soldiers were killed and seven wounded early today in a shootout that broke out during a raid in Ramadi.

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston now estimate 5 million people died in 2000 from smoking related diseases.

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has ordered hearings for 10 death row prisoners to determine if they are mentally retarded.

In Cancun, thousands of protesters continue to protest the ministerial of the World Trade Organization. Inside the meetings Brazil yesterday led the formation of a G-21 — 21 nation bloc of developing countries that vowed to work together to fight U.S. and European agricultural policies.

And the “man in black” Singer Johnny Cash, has died in the US at the age of 71. For the last 50 years he has been one of the nation’s most successful country singers.