By LLOYD RUNDLE and ALEX STEWART
Game plans
The US dailies lead on the Florida Supreme Court overturning Florida's Republican Secretary of State Katherine Harris' decision to set a deadline of the 14th November for the hand counts and extended it to the 27th, the way is open for Al Gore to mount a comeback.
The New York Times quotes the judges as saying that: "Technical statutory requirements must not be exalted over [the right to express one's will]."
This was seized on by the Republicans, who said that the Democrat dominated Court had made "constitutional errors of great proportions" and had managed "to give the election to Mr Gore."
The Washington Post reports that as the Bush camp will now ask for the decision to be overturned in the State Legislature, the decision may finally rest with Congress and its GOP majority.
The Washington Post reports that Mr Gore has offered Mr Bush another meeting in an attempt to pour oil on the waters, but the New York Times says that despite this, many of Mr Gore's supporters have lost faith. They feel that he tarnished his image by going to the courts and should now concede to prevent an escalation in political strife.
The LA Times reports that the News President of CBS, Andrew Heyward, has blamed himself for the gross errors his organisation made on election night, firstly calling Florida for Mr Gore and then the whole election for Mr Bush. He said it was his mistake to rely on sources outside his control, especially the Voter News Service, which took inaccurate exit polls.
On the other side of the Atlantic the Independent reports that, with Thanksgiving approaching, the public's interest in the Court wrangles down in Florida is dissipating. In a separate report it says the loss of the transitional period in which a president-elect normally appoints his government to the post-election deadlock, could have alarming effects on
the administration of whoever wins the race. Not only will whoever-he-may-be lose the 100-day honeymoon period that opens the new-President's term - during which time a President can do more than at any other time in his term - but it may take until February 2002 to approve the 6000 government posts waiting to be fulfilled.
The Financial Times leads on the Florida Supreme Court's decision and on the inside reports that whoever the new Senate President (a role fulfilled by the Vice-President) may be, he is going to have a busy time with the Senate being as deadlocked as it is.
The Guardian leads with a now-redundant story on Gore's signaling he is ready to give up if the Florida Supreme court decides against him. On the inside the Guardian says Katherine Harris is being wooed by the Bush for a
position in his transition government. The Guardian says she is being considered for the position of Advisor on Latin American Affairs.
The Times says that whatever the ruling of the Florida Supreme Court, Democrats still fear that Mr Gore is heading for a defeat in Florida.
Recall
Following the recall of the Egyptian Ambassador to Tel Aviv yesterday the Independent reports that Israel has described the move as "serious". Egypt was the first Arab nation to establish diplomatic ties with Israel, and President Hosni Mubarak has been a pivotal influence in the Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.
The FT quotes a White House Spokesman urging Egypt to "engage with Israel" in order to help cool tensions in the region.
The New York Times says that the recall marks a significant hardening in the usual moderate Arab nation's stance. It claims this is reflective of a
general shift in attitude brought about by the recent violence, in which it is widely felt that Israel has acted improperly. The last time the Egyptian ambassador was recalled from Tel Aviv was in 1982, when the Israeli
invasion of Lebanon began a four year break in diplomatic relations.
The Telegraph reports that Palestinian policemen have now been authorised to open fire in self-defence, provoking fears of the conflict escalating to an outright war. The authorisation was given in retaliation for the Israeli strikes in Gaza on Monday.
In a second report the Telegraph says the official Palestinian newspaper Al-Hayat al-Jadida has called for an institutional uprising to remove the corrupt and compromised officials in Yasser Arafat's entourage.
The Washington Post reports that Fatah are not deterred by increased Israeli retaliation. Rocket attacks, which yesterday left two dead and many injured, and some tank attacks this morning that are believe to have killed
four, mark a further escalation in violence. However, Palestinian police have now been given authority to return fire if they feel threatened and the leader of Fatah in Bethlehem has said that Israelis on the West Bank will continue to be viable "military targets."
Mad cow blues
The Independent reports that the British government has brushed proposals for a ban on French beef, despite mounting fears over its safety. Whatever the alarm, says the Indy, there have been only 200 cases of Mad Cow disease in France compared with 180,000 in Britain over the past 12 years.
Euro squabbles
The Financial Times reports that Turkey has offered a substantial military contribution to the European Union's new rapid reaction force, signaling that Ankara's fears over an autonomous European military body are receding.
On the same subject, the Telegraph splashes on Tory party leader William Hague promising to reverse the government's plans to commit thousands of British troops to the force, should his party come to power at the next British election.
Outed
The Independent reports that Peru's former president Alberto Fujimori emerged the Tokyo hotel suite where he has been holed up since his resignation to greet the press. He told reporters he did not know how long he would be in Japan, his ancestral homeland, but that it would be a long time.
The FT says Valentin Paniagua, the newly elected Head of the Peruvian Congress will stand in in Mr Fujimori's place until elections next year.
More legal wrangles
The Independent and Guardian report on the opening of Kurdish separatist leader Abdullah Ocalan's appeal case at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. Ocalan, the founder of the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK), has been condemned to death by the Turkish State and is still languishing in a Turkish jail. The Independent reports that thousands of Kurds descended on
Strasbourg yesterday, and have vowed to make the city "Kurdish" for the duration of the appeal. Ocalan is appealing on the grounds that he was denied a fair trial in Turkey. Turkey has pledged not to carry out the death sentence until the appeal is rejected.
Execution
The Independent reports that former Spanish government minister Ernest Lluch was shot dead in a Barcelona car park last night. The shooting had all the hallmarks of an Eta execution.
All the President's men
President-elect Vincente Fox Quesada of Mexico is expected to name his Cabinet today, reports the New York Times. In a pragmatic move to offset his lack of Congressional majority with a wide base of support, he is believed to be appointing lawyers, academics and moderate politicians to various posts, even when they lack political experience. In what is seen as a sop to Wall Street, a free-market progressive will be economics minister. The leftist academic Jorge Castaneda, a lecturer at the University of New
York, will be Foreign Minister. The far left have refused any posts.
Thinking it over
According to the Washington Post, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Henry H. Shelton has not ruled out retaliation for the bomb attack on the USS Cole, although it is not yet known what form it would take or against whom it would happen. An ongoing investigation is looking into whether the captain of the vessel took appropriate steps in view of the threat to the vessel, or whether he was not actually made aware of this threat by his superiors.
The Telegraph reports that the US is seeking Russia's help to launch a military action against Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden's bases inside Taliban-held Afghanistan.
Exempted
In a move that has been heavily criticized by Washington hawks, the Chinese have been exempted from sanctions incurred because they shipped missile
parts to Iran and Pakistan, reports the Washington Post. Beijing has stated that it will no longer offer to assist anyone wishing to develop nuclear
technology. The lifting of the embargo paves the way for co-operation between China and the US in the field of space exploration.
- INDEPENDENT
World news monitor
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