Anthrax closes House of Representatives

Anthrax antibiotics in the US have been in short supply

It has been confirmed that 29 people from the office of Senate majority leader Tom Daschle have been exposed to anthrax and there is confusion over reports that it has entered the ventilation system.

Michael Powers, research associate with the Chemical and Biological Arms Control Institute, is an expert on bio terrorism, he tells us that the quality and type of anthrax used means that it must be state sponsored.

In the UK, we are told to be calm, but what contingencies are in place for dealing with a potential outbreak? Are there sufficient stocks of vaccines and antibiotics? What does the government tell local authorities about the correct way to deal with this? We put these questions to the Chief Medical Officer, Liam Donaldson.

Following the assassination of a member of Israeli cabinet minister Rehavam Ze'evi this morning, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat denies that Yasser Arafat had any involvement and insists that peace talks are the only way forward.

While much of the south of Afghanistan has been deprived of aid, there have been some supplies getting into the north. While the fighting is less intense in the area, the daily bombardment of the country has made life increasingly precarious for aid agencies trying to operate on the ground. Ian Pannell reports on the plight of the internally displaced and their hopes of some relief.

Had the attacks on America not happened, it is likely that world attention would have focused on Zimbabwe. A Brussels-based think tank, the International Crisis Group says Robert Mugabe's government has reneged on the deal brokered by Nigeria to end seizures of white farms. Price controls have made basic foodstuffs harder to come by and put them out of reach of many Zimbabweans. The country's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai describes the situation.

And the comedian Rowan Atkinson is concerned that it will soon be illegal to ridicule religion and lampoon religious figures. Atkinson, famous as Blackadder and Mister Bean, wrote to the Times to query the Home Secretary's proposed legislation to outlaw incitement to religious hatred. He explains his concerns and responds to the criticism that some things might just not be funny in the present climate.

To listen to the interviews, click on the links above.

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