Aryeh Deri leader of Shas the third biggest party in Israel which represents religious Jews originating in the Middle East claims hundreds

Aryeh Deri, leader of Shas, the third biggest party in Israel, which represents religious Jews originating in the Middle East, claims hundreds of thousands of Russian immigrants are not really Jewish and eat pork. IN THE last weeks of the Israeli election campaign, the mud hurled by the opposing parties is getting thicker and nastier. Even as the crowd called his name and chanted "Wales, Wales, Wales" he remained unsmiling.. As he scrolled through Super Furries classics, the band's trademark whimsy took on a tragic tone with Rhys's voice stretching to cracking point. Kaleidoscopic patterns from the monitors were reflected on the singer's pallid face, adding to his enervated appearance.

But to lump the Super Furries alongside Celtic contemporaries, Catatonia, Stereophonics, 60-ft Dolls, is to do little justice to their smart, psychedelic pop and the sparkling invention of their live shows. At Wolverhampton, a multitude of television screens flickered across the stage as if the band had stumbled across a Gillianesque vision of the future. Super Furry Animals form part of the wave of Welsh bands who have raised the cultural profile of Wales in recent years, transforming Cardiff into a mecca for chequebook-wielding A&Rs and style-bible babes. The other members of the band could have been hired session musicians for all the attention that was paid to them as they lurked in the shadows and allowed the singer to bask in the spotlight. He was also in possession of an effortlessly commanding stage presence.

While Rhys may not have The Verve front man's hollow cheeks or emaciated frame, his air of wistful intensity was pure Ashcroft. ON THE day that Richard Ashcroft announced the demise of The Verve, Gruff Rhys, the vocalist from the Super Furry Animals, appeared to be limbering up as his successor. When he saw the question he decided his luck was out."The correct answer was geology but Paddy, even though we let him ring a friend with a textbook for 30 seconds, was not sure of the answer."Mr Spooner has been sleeping on a friend's floor in the southern city of Melbourne, but when he returns to Britain he will be able to afford his own home.Right now, he is heading for Thailand for a celebratory holiday with his girlfriend, Trish, before returning to Australia to pick up his winnings.. The 32-year-old was so desperate to appear on the Australian version of Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? that he called the programme 215 times on a friend's mobile phone. When he finally got his chance, he became the show's biggest winner.Mr Spooner, from New Milton, Hampshire, answered nine questions correctly, but passed up the opportunity to raise his total to pounds 413,000 - one million Australian dollars.He could have gambled his money by answering two more questions, doubling his winnings with each correct answer - to A$500,000 - and then tried for the million.However, as viewers of the British version hosted by Chris Tarrant will know, it was safer for Mr Spooner to quit while he was ahead.He did not know the answer to the next multiple-choice question - "In which science did the Australian Sir T W Edgworth David specialise?" - and, had he chosen any of the three wrong answers, would have forfeited pounds 90,000 of the pounds 103,000 he had already won.Peter Ritchie, a spokesman for the Australian Channel 9, said: "He walked away. Not so Paddy Spooner, a British traveller who won more than pounds 100,000 yesterday on an Australian television quiz show. MOST BACKPACKERS return home broke. They've looked on him as a blessing rather than a curse."`Tonight with Trevor McDonald', ITV, today, 10pm.