News Headlines

Israeli's Elect Ariel Sharon New Prime Minister

On Tuesday, Israeli voters chose Ariel Sharon as the new Prime Minister of Israel. He defeated current Prime Minister Ehud Barak by a margin of 62.6 percent to 39.2 percent of the vote.

Barak resigned in December, forcing new elections. This came after several months of violence between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Barak promised to work towards peace, while accusing Sharon of being a hard-liner. Sharon has said that he would feel obligated by previous concessions made by Barak.

After winning the election, Sharon sought a coalition government with Barak's Labor party. Sharon also offered Barak the position of Defense minister in his new government. Palestinians have protested Sharon's election. On Thursday a car bomb exploded in Jerusalem. On Friday, while Sharon was speaking with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, a gun battle erupted between Israeli troops and Palestinians in the West Bank.

Gunman Opens Fire Near White House

On Wednesday, Robert W. Pickett of Evansville, Indiana was arrested near the White House after firing shots. A Secret Service agent shot Pickett in the knee after he heard Pickett's gun click.

President Bush and Vice President Cheney were both in the White House at the time, but according to White House press secretary Ari Fleischer, neither was ever in any danger. After being shot in the knee, Pickett was rushed by ambulance to George Washington University Hospital for treatment.

On Friday, federal prosecutors charged Pickett with assaulting a federal officer. If he is convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison. Pickett had a history of mental illness. He had attempted suicide twice, and has been hospitalized several times.

Police think that Wednesday's actions by Pickett were a suicide attempt, where he wanted cops to open fire. This is frequently called "suicide by cop." A suicide letter was sent to the Internal Revenue Service, where Pickett had previously worked. Another suicide note was found in his car which was parked near a subway stop in Virginia.

US Submarine Hits Fishing Boat

On Friday, the USS Greeneville sank a Japanese fishing boat as it surfaced near Waikiki, Hawaii. The submarine was not damaged, but nine people from the fishing boat are still missing.

The fishing boat, the Ehime Maru, was carrying students and teachers from Japan who were learning how to hunt for tuna, swordfish, and shark. Of the nine missing, four were 17-year-old high school students, two are teachers, and the other three are crew members.

American officials have been sending condolences to Japanese officials. Secretary of State Colin Powell apologized to Japanese Foreign Minister Yohei Kono. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori said, "The most important thing now is the search for the missing people. I pray that there is some way that we will be able to find them soon."

The United States Navy has said that it will investigate the incident fully. It appears that the stern of the submarine hit the fishing boat. According to the Navy, submarines usually use sonar before surfacing. Then before they fully rise, they check using a periscope.