Bush 'should step down'

Following Bush's call for Palestinian leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Yasser Arafat to quit, the Spinola Institute of International Affairs said in a statement today: "We have just as much right to demand Bush should quit as he does to tell Arafat he must go. If the President has any decency, he should leave office immediately and allow the American people to take a democratic vote on a successor. We also recommend that none of Mr Bush's relatives should be involved in counting the votes this time round."

The Institute also issued a list of six other demands:

- A complete ban on the sale or use of landmines, tanks and iMacs.

- An amnesty allowing people to hand in illict firearms, explosives, copies of Ami Pro, Wordperfect for Windows and Linux.

- The US should try to avoid launching nuclear attacks against Egypt, or should such an attack be launched, attempt to recall the bombers more than five minutes before they reach their target.

- Foreign countries including India, Pakistan and Australia should be forbidden by law from beating the English cricket team.

- The UN should instigate an urgent investigation into the globalisation of anti-globalisation pressure groups.

- Israeli armed forces should stop encouraging Palestinians from throwing rocks at them by not reducing their houses to rubble and providing them with the ammunition. µ