The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Ramallah - The Palestine Liberation Organization chose Mahmoud Abbas, a former prime minister and a veteran negotiator, to replace Yasser Arafat as chairman just hours after his death on Thursday. Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, was Arafat's longtime second-in-command. His unanimous election to the PLO's top post puts Abbas on track to become the new Palestinian leader. Dublin - A patient at a hospital in Dublin is suffering from what is believed to be Ireland's first locally contracted case of the human form of mad cow disease. The patient, a young male in his 20s, has never donated nor received blood and has not been infected during the course of an operation, according to doctors. This suggests he contracted the deadly brain disease from eating infected beef, they say. Jerusalem - Israel put its military on high alert on Thursday after the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, while the country's politicians said they were hopeful that peace efforts could now be renewed. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has in recent years shunned Arafat as a terrorist and obstructionist, and without mentioning Arafat's name, said on Thursday his death could serve as a "historic turning point in the Middle East." Israeli Justice Minister Yosef Lapid was among the first to react to Arafat's death, and made no effort to hide his enmity, saying that he hated the former leader.
