has been completely sealed off by Israel , following yesterday's events which saw the first major attacks by Palestinian s on Israeli civilians since Mahmoud Abbas was elected, and followed several Israeli raids in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank . (BBC)(Al Jazeera)
The World Health Organization reports that worldwide Polio cases rose by more than one-third in 2004 , from 784 in 2003 to 1,185 last year. The increase is attributed to a boycott on Vaccine s in Kano , Nigeria led by a group of hard-line Islamic clerics who claim that vaccines are part of an American conspiracy. (CNN)
