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Issues relating to the tactics of suicide bombers in Irael are presented. Where religious settlers have been targeted in the past, bombings such as that of the Dolfi disco in Tel Aviv are now targeting Russian - speaking immigrants. The bomber was a 22 year old Palestinian.

Former White House intern Monica Lewinsky's taped conversation with her friend Linda Tripp about her alleged sexual relationship with Pres. Bill Clinton and his alleged efforts to bribe her has strengthened independent prosecutor Kenneth Starr's Whitewater investigation and gave rise to questions on Clinton's ability to govern. If these allegations are proven correct, the Republican-led Congress will have a more valid ground to call for impeachment procedure.

The entry of Russia in the Group of Seven raises various responses among the members of the group. At the convention held at Denver, co, critics point out that the economic stability of Russia is way behind the other member countries. However, when it comes to politics, Russia possesses an exceptional qualification which offsets its economic liabilities. Hence, Russia's membership in the Group of Seven will complete the formula in attaining global development goals.

Author of the New York Times Magazine Ron Rosenbaum suggests, after studying the notes written by Graham Greene on British Intelligence Officer Kim Philby's memoirs, that Philby was a triple agent who worked for the USSR but served British interests. Although the KGB had suspected Philby of being a triple agent, they lacked the evidence to prove it. Philby's being a triple agent was kept secret even from Greene, who was Philby's friend and supported his loyalty to communism.

The CIA and the US National Security Agency conducted an electronic surveillance and informed Boris Yeltsin of the coup planned against Mikhail Gorbachev in 1991. This information helped Yeltsin establish his private communication system and increase the number of his bodyguards. Pres George Bush ensured that Yeltsin had all the information that was known to the US officials by tapping the telephone conversation of high ranking Russian military officers.

The security arrangements have been strengthened in New York to prevent terrorist activities, promoted by Moslem fundamentalists such as Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, a Moslem priest in the Jersey City mosque. An Iraqi plan to kill Pres George Bush, which was not carried out, was discovered. Pres Bill Clinton retaliated to the plan by bombing the Iraqi intelligence center.

Issues are presented concerning the events which occurred during the World Conference against Racism which took place in Durban, South Africa in 2001. The anti-Israeli focus which disrupted the conference is discussed.

An overview is presented of the history of the 19th century-built Orient House in Jerusalem, and how the building's history reflects the conflict that has existed in the region since its construction. In 1980, when the house became the home of the Society of Arabic Studies, it also became a symbol of Palestinian intifada.

Issues concerning the building of a wall to separate Palestine and Israel in an attempt to end hostilities is discussed. The Jewish government funded research into the building of a wall in 1995, estimating the total cost at $1 billion.

Issues concerning the unstable relations between Palestine and Israel are discussed, with particular focus on the events triggered by the attack on a Palestinian family by Israeli settlers. Aspects related to the nature of the attack are examined.

The Russian mafia may have been invented as a way of curbing economic growth in Russia by western forces. Business and ruling groups collaborate elsewhere in the world.

Issues concerning the formation of a new political association in Israel are discussed. The political association is called The Israeli for Motherland and militates against neo-nazism in Europe. Particular attention is given to the association's relations with Russian Cossacks.

Issues concerning the plight of young Russian girls being lured to work as prostitutes in Israel and the white slavery trade are discussed.

A discussion on politics and conditions in Palestine is presented. The Israelis and the Palestinians are in dispute over the Gaza Strip.

Underpopulation poses just as many risks and problems as overpopulation. Contrary to popular thinking, modernization, urbanization and greater wealth are connected with population growth while the opposite will only give way to higher standards of living which, inevitably, pave the way to late marriages, largely reduced birthrates and increased numbers of old people. More old people connote greater sadness.

The Moscow Circus is experiencing difficulties in staging performances in Orlando, FL due to mismanagement. The group's dismal public reception is attributed to the failure of organizers to recognize the disadvantages of selecting the city for the circus. Allegations were also made against the organizers for failing to give enough advertising exposure for the group. Circus members estimate the amount of financing aid needed to resume normal operations.

It is not known whether the two young illegal immigrants from Palestine, arrested in Brooklyn, met in the US by accident, or whether they were part of a planned operation to commit terrorism in the New York subway. The FBI is continuing to investigate, and they believe that if Hamas, the main Palestinian terrorist organization, is behind their actions, it could pose a serious threat to US security.

US President Bill Clinton is keen to go down in history as the person who extended NATO to include former Warsaw Pact countries. Analysts believe that Clinton will be able to persuade Congress to ratify the NATO treaty due to his success in the domestic economy and to his personal popularity. This is despite the fact that expansion will commit the US to the financial support of Central European countries, when other European countries are unwilling to accept this burden. Clinton is promoting the new functions of NATO as a force to tackle problems including terrorism and regional conflicts.

The Harvard School of Divinity offers the study of religion to laymen interested in increasing their spiritual awareness. Its student body represents various denominations, from the major religions such as Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Taoism to obscure faiths such as Evangelical Druids, Sun worshippers, Aztec Pacifists and Orthodox sorcerers. This religious tolerance is rooted in the students' and teachers' belief in the equality of all paths leading to God.

American taxpayers are asking about the legality of the president's acceptance of donations during his presidential campaign and his use of state property in repaying his sponsors. Clinton is responding to these attacks by proposing a review of existing laws regarding election financing. The Republican Party however, is silent about the matter as the Republicans themselves were the recipient of $3.5 million in campaign funds from Philip Morris Tobacco Co. The Republicans generally receive more donations than the Democratic party.

A journalist recounts his 2,000 kilometers trek across the Himalayas which familiarized him with the secrets of Tibet. He feels that despite its unfriendly environs, Tibet radiates a feel at home ambience. He attributes this comfortable feeling to the effortless meditation one can indulge in in Tibet, aided by the cold and the height of the place. The journalist opines that the appeal of Tibetan Buddhism lies in its enunciation of teaching people to search for the truth on their own. He thinks that the Chinese aggression was responsible for enlightening the world about Tibetan affairs.

The victory of US Pres Bill Clinton in the 1996 elections is attributed to factors related to the coming of the next millenium and the 21st century. The improvement in the economy helped Clinton to regain the presidency. Majority of women and national minorities, important constituents for the next century, voted for Clinton. Social democrats also extended their support to the president for his promises of reforming healthcare and education. While journalists see in Clinton a cordial friend and voted for him, Clinton's support for equal rights for all mankind also contributed to his victory.

New York, NY, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's character, work style and personal commitment to the betterment of the city are compared with those of prewar mayor Fiorello La Guardia. Giuliani shares the gloomy disposition of the La Guardia and has a typical Italian straightforwardness. Giuliani has resolved to rid the city of Italian mafia and corruption, and check unemployment by cutting allowances and creating jobs. He strives to limit federal and state control over the city and vouches for its economic self sufficiency. A workaholic by nature, he is also an avid music lover.

Fred Cuny, an American philanthropist, and his group disappeared in Chechnya in Apr 1995 and were last seen in Samashki. Cuny visited Chechnya to initiate a truce between the federal authorities and Dzhokhar Dudayev's supporters. He wanted to remove the Grozny residents from the city. Cuny's group entered Chechen territory via Ingushetia along the way to Bamut village, which is controlled by Dudayev rebels. They were arrested by Dudayev's people, when they were 5 kms from Samashki, and disappeared after their release. Both the warring sides in Chechnya are accused of causing Cuny's death.

Vyacheslav Ivankov, accused of taking part in organized crime by the FBI, claims to be innocent. The media criticizes the FBI's involvement in the case as an effort to prove their success against the Russian mafia. The FBI may fail to prove the charges against Ivankov in the criminal court, but he will then face the serious charge of illegal immigration. After the preliminary trial, the US immigration court may order his deportation to Moscow and claim it to be an FBI victory over Russian organized crime.

Ukrainian Oksana Baiul won an Olympic gold medal in figure skating in the 1994 Olympics held at Lillehammer, Norway, at the age of 16. She has since moved to America, signing a multiple-year contract to skate in the World Tour Figure-Skating Champions show in 70 US cities. She has become an idol for young American girls who come to watch her skate. She hopes to someday dance in 'Swan Lake' and 'Giselle,' and also to break into acting in films.

The Ingmar Bergman festival (1995) in New York staged several productions by the master. A chief feature of the festival was the performance of Yukio Mishima's play 'Madame de Sade,' produced by Bergman. Bergman had a brilliant movie career, which he gave up in 1955. He currently focuses only on theater in his native Dramaten in Sweden.

Russia's most-dreaded underworld criminal Vyacheslav Kirillovich Ivankov, known as Yaponchik, was apprehended in New York by the FBI. He has been accused of extorting $3.5 million from the Summit International Co. New York police, however, contradict this story saying Ivankov is a victim of media hype and is not the hardcore criminal portrayed in the Russian press. He was hired by people who wanted to take advantage of his reputation to settle personal differences with the Summit International Co.

Marina Kovalyova, the millionaire-owner of tour operator People Travel Club, is one of the most successful Russians who have emigrated to the US and engaged in business there. Born in Odessa, she is an ethnographer by education and is also an expert in Slavic art. In 1979, she and her husband emigrated to Vienna, Austria, and from there to the US. Her tour company is a major player in the US tourism industry.

The CIA's involvement in financing the Guatemalan army first came to light in 1990 with the murder of an American businessman Michael De Vine by a colonel in the Guatemalan army and a CIA agent. From 1980 to 1990, the CIA spent millions of dollars in training the Guatemalan army, supplying it with weapons, and recruiting high ranking Guatemalan army officials as CIA agents. The U.S Prosecutor-General is investigating the involvement of CIA officials, the Pentagon, the State Dept and the National Security Agency.

Russian Pres Boris Yeltsin, during his address to the UN General Assembly, called for making the CSCE the central figure of a pan-European security system that includes the CIS republics. Russia, according to Yeltsin, would secure its interests through international dialogue supported by the UN, instead of engaging in bilateral talks. He feels that Russia has a peace keeping role to perform in the CIS republics, especially to protect ethnic Russians in those regions. He also feels that the five nuclear powers must drastically reduce their nuclear arsenals and completely take over the global arms trade.

Marshall Goldman, Director of the Russian Research Center at Harvard University, US, advises Americans not to invest in Russia as it is unprofitable and unsafe. The reasons include a rise in organized crime and theft, unreliable Russian partners, problematic Russian tax system and banking system, lack of favorable business environment and poor law and order situation.

Double-agent Colonel Boris Yuzhin was caught by the KGB in 1986 when his photographs of documents from the KGB spy center, for the US counter-intelligence, included his picture. Yuzhin started supplying information to the American counter-intelligence after he read about the Soviet regime's atrocities in books banned in the USSR when he came to the US in 1975. He lives in California with his family since his release in Feb 1992.

Feminists' protest against domestic violence by using the case against American football player O.J. Simpson for murdering his wife and her lover led to the passing of many anti-misogyny laws. Men joined with women to fight for women's rights. Psychologists feel that men and women are to be blamed for domestic violence, as women also derive masochistic pleasure from physical violence.

The American mass media gave good coverage to the case of former African American football player and actor O.J. Simpson, accused of murdering his white wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her lover Ronald Goldman. The pursuit of Simpson by the police was telecast live by National TV, interrupting news broadcasts. The preliminary hearings were also telecast live and the case was given front page coverage by reputed magazines such as Time and The New York Times.

Brazil won the 1994 World Cup Football held in the US over Italy on penalties after the game remained goal-less after overtime. The fairness of using penalties to determine the winner is debatable. The Brazilian team played very efficiently under the guidance of coach Carlos Alberto Parreira, and can be viewed as a model for future world cup teams.

Peter Grinenko of the New York City Detective Bureau's Russian Department feels happy to imprison Soviet criminals who migrate to the US to swindle people. He believes that corruption in the Russian police force is due to the lack of anti-corruption squads to check police officials' activities. He says that the US spends $25 million annually to safeguard the witnesses of crime, although they sometimes transgress security measures and get killed.

Jordan, a world famous firm located in Manhattan's Fashion District, is world's biggest producer of blouses. Jordan is seeking wholesale buyers in Russia. In Russia, either very expensive designer clothes such as those of Versace and Armani, or very cheap clothes, produced by Taiwan, Chinese or Turkish establishments, can be found. Jordan plans to offer everyday use clothes at affordable prices for Russian women.

An ex-agent of a NHL player has been arrested by the police on charges of extortion from the player, while many Russian hockey players in the US are receiving death threats. Such players demand huge sums of money to guarantee their safety. Sports authorities feel that the Russian mafia may be behind the threats. Other Russian sportsmen are also facing similar harassment.

Former Soviet intelligence officer Yuri Shevts's submission of the final version of his manuscript 'Washington Station: My life as a KGB Spy in America' to Simon and Schuster Publishers in New York has resulted in a spy scandal. The FBI will check the authenticity of this story before the book is distributed to bookstores.

Steven Spielberg's film 'Schindler's List' may become one of the greatest feature films ever made due to its vivid portrayal of events during the Nazi Holocaust. This is Spielberg's first art film and is a departure from the highly successful entertainment films associated with him. A film detailing the atrocities during communist rule in the former Soviet Union may enlighten people who possess inadequate knowledge of human tragedies.

American movie schools train students in all departments of film-making such as direction, script-writing and cinematography and aim at a comprehensive course in all aspects of film-making. A training session costs nearly $40,000 and can be afforded only by rich students, though some students pay the course fees by selling the movies they make as part of their projects. Nearly 2000 directors graduate from such movie schools annually.

WMNB has made it possible for Russian emigrants in the US to enjoy Russian programs. Cable and satellite communication has enabled 15 hours of programs to be broadcasted on radio and five hours of programs of WMNB television to be telecast everyday. Despite the lack of professionalism of employees of WMNB, the company is doing very well and covers a variety of programs, including news, interviews and music.

Vasily Aksyonov, a popular Russian novelist, hopes to publish his new novel, 'War and Prison, Prison and Peace,' which is about a Russian family. Aksyonov feels that his works are more famous in America, where most people know to scrutinize the writing and various elements of writing. He believes that publicity and rumors create a best seller.

Michael Carlisle, a Russian literary agent in the US, talks about his career. In the US, he was employed by the William Morris agency which has dealings with Elisabeth Tailor, Cindy Crawford and Clint Eastwood. Initially, he had decided not to work with any Russian writer, but changed his mind after getting acquainted with the Russian writer, Viktor Yerofeyev. He feels that the American readers are not interested in Russian books and so he has introduced only two Russian authors in the US. He is careful in selecting books and introduces only those that will find a market in America and other western countries.

Alexander Zhurbin founded a Russian-American theater in New York and staged the musical 'Moldavanka,' without facing any language problem as he had elicited the help of an American interpreter. The Russian performers acted with zeal and enthusiasm, although they were not rewarded amply. Zhurbin is planning to stage works of Russian classical playwrights such as Chekhov, Nabokov, Sholem-Aleichem and Dostoyevsky.

Russian poet Joseph Brodsky discusses his works and life in an interview. He relates a variety of aspects about his life, from his liking for cats to his planned return to Russia. He claims to enjoy Italian scenery and Oriental cooking. He compares the concepts of Oriental and Western philosophies. He also claims to emulate Shestov and his philosophies. Lastly, he advises people to be themselves and resist categorization.

Most Russian peasant Sabbath-worshippers from the village of Ilyinka in the Voronesh Region of Russia have immigrated to Bet-Shamesh, Israel. These Russian Jews do not regret giving up their occupations as farmers in collective farms back in Russia. The economic hardships they experienced shattered all feelings of love for the land in these peasants. Most of the men now work as wardens in the mountains or as laborers in a local cement mill.

Mikhail Gorbachev visited the US in May 1992 to speak about his political career and study the free market mechanism. One of the highlights of Gorbachev's trip was his lecture at Westminster College in Fulton, CA, where he declared the Cold War over. It should be recalled that it was in the same venue, in 1946, where Winston Churchill fulminated against the existence of the Iron Curtain, a lecture that presaged the onset of the Cold War.