Church of Nativity standoff over as militants begin life in exile
13 Palestinian men hold up in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem for 38 days have arrived in Cyprus. They are banned from setting foot in Palestinian-run territory ever again. Under a complicated deal which took days to cobble together, the 13 militants headed out of the church peacefully and onto a waiting British plane. They will end up dispersed across the EU. The Israeli government accused them of being terrorists. Many of them had held posts within the Palestinian Authority's intelligence service. More than a hundred other people including clerics and peace activists who had stayed in the church during the standoff also emerged one by one. Some headed to the Gaza Strip others into the arms of anxious family members. Even though the Israeli government had accused the 13 men sent into exile of being hardened terrorists at one point the men seemed to be in face-to-face conversation with Israeli soldiers as they emerged. Just hours ago soldiers had their guns trained on the Nativity Church prepared to shoot. For more than five weeks the group huddled inside the church had endured hardship with little food and water as gun battles raged just outside the doors. The standoff outside one of the world's most well known holy sites had sparked outrage within the Christian world and led to the European-mediation effort.
Israel is preparing a new front in its war on terrorism
More and more soldiers are heading towards the Gaza Strip for what is likely to be a drawn out offensive against Palestinian extremists there. Israeli reservists have been ordered to report for duty as the generals figure out how to take on Hamas in one of the most populated strips of land anywhere on earth. The Israeli government gave the order to take on Hamas in Gaza after it claimed responsibility for this week's deadly suicide bombing near Tel Aviv. The Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has condemned the attack and ordered his forces to round up militants but its probably not enough to prevent Israeli reprisals.Arafat admitted some Palestinians are deliberately trying to undermine him and the peace process. US President George W Bush appeared to give Arafat the benefit of the doubt during comments at the White House. Unlike the Israeli government, Washington still believes Arafat has a vital role to play in any future peace talks.
Silicon chip offers hope for blind
They're those beautiful banalities that we all take for granted: colourful flowers; the reassuring haven of a porch-light at night. But for former sailor, John Croker, blind for fifteen years, these everyday sights are a miracle. "I'd like to see kids," he says. "I forgot what they looked like. That's what I want to see." He's talking this way because John's one of six patients taking part in a pilot study that's using video-chip technology to give hope to the blind. In the research, carried out by the Illinois-based private company, Optobionics, an artificial silicon retina is implanted behind the real retina. The chip is photosensitive and according to scientist Alan Chow has repaired damaged retinas. "When implanted inside the eye, underneath the retina, when light strikes it, it produces tiny electrical signals which then stimulate the retina," he says. John and five others were operated on several months ago. While doctor Chow has presented his findings to his ophthalmic peers, it is John who is the most persuasive advocate of the research. "I looked and I could see the lights on our Christmas tree, which is the first time that's every happened for a long time." There are as yet no signs of infection or the body rejecting the implant. And research continues into the chip that could offer a high-tech way out of a world of darkness.