Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English, 00-11-20

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From: The Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation at <http://www.cybc.com.cy/>

CONTENTS

[01] HEADLINES

[02] Hasikos

[03] Mideast

[04] Elections

[05] World

[06] Weather MONDAY 20 NOVEMBER 2000

[01] HEADLINES

--- A bomb exploded in front of an Israeli school bus today, killing two adults and wounding others including children from a Jewish settlement in the largely Palestinian-ruled Gaza Strip.

And

--- Republicans and Democrats face off in the Florida Supreme Court today in one of the most important rounds yet in their battle to win the US presidential election, still unresolved after nearly two weeks.

[02] Hasikos

During the meeting, Cyprus will submit its contribution to the European army.

Speaking on his departure for Brussels, Mr. Hasikos said that Cyprus would contribute services and infrastructure.

Commenting on the reactions from the Turkish Cypriot side, Mr. Hasikos said it did not alter anything.

[03] Mideast

Medical relief workers said at least four children were among the nine wounded in the first fatal roadside bomb attack on Jewish settlers in Gaza in almost two months of clashes with Palestinians seeking independence.

Witnesses said several pieces of shrapnel went clean through the bus and the floor was stained with blood. Dozens of Jewish settlers gathered around the bus to mourn and pray, saying they would not go until Prime Minister Ehud Barak came to the scene.

Barak, who was due to visit Gaza later today, expressed shock and the government vowed to "respond in accordance with developments" after an emergency meeting of the security cabinet this morning.

The army blamed the attack on Palestinian militants.

A senior Palestinian official said the Palestinian Authority was not responsible for the attack and rejected the violence. The attack occurred on a southern Gaza road under Israeli security control.

The blast took the death toll to 243 in the clashes between Israeli troops and the Palestinians, who regard Jewish settlers who live on occupied land as legitimate targets. Most of the dead have been Palestinians and one in four of them teenagers.

The violence has shattered peacemaking in the region, and hopes of a peace agreement before U. President Bill Clinton leaves office in January have receded.

[04] Elections

The seven judges of the court are due to start hearing arguments from the campaigns of Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore on whether post-deadline results from hand recounts should be added to the Florida total for the November 7 election.

Gore is pinning his hopes of wresting Florida from Bush on the possibility that manual recounts of 1.7 million votes in three heavily Democratic counties will boost him into the lead.

The Texas governor has a slim lead over Gore of 930 votes out of the 6 million cast in the state.

Whoever gets Florida's 25 electoral votes wins the White House.

But Republicans are fighting strenuously to bar acceptance of the hand counts in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties, which have so far yielded a small but significant increase in Gore votes.

[05] World

- - - -

A radical Palestinian group based in Damascus claimed responsibility for a bomb attack in the Gaza Strip today that killed two people and wounded nine.

- - - -

An aide to Prime Minister Ehud Barak said Israel must respond to a bomb attack on a school bus in the Gaza Strip that killed two people and wounded nine.

The official said the character, moment and form of the response would be decided at a meeting of Barak's security cabinet later in the morning.

- - - -

Just hours before a vote on a no-confidence motion against Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, a key aide to his challenger said he was still trying to avoid a confrontation.

Ruling party reformist Koichi Kato's associate, Sadatoshi Ozato, told reporters they would make efforts to avoid a decisive battle at a plenary session and reach a mutually acceptable agreement.

Opposition parties submitted the motion, and ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) former executive Kato and his reformist allies have vowed to vote in favour of the measure, a move that could split the ruling party and topple Mori.

Kato has said he would vote against the motion if he received assurances that Mori would step down at an early date.

- - - -

Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori is expected to submit his resignation from office from the plush Tokyo hotel where he is holed up far from a corruption storm, but opposition leaders said they were preparing moves to oust him on grounds of moral unfitness.

- - - -

The Philippine Senate launched the impeachment trial of President Joseph Estrada on corruption charges, hours after a key ally deserted him.

The defection of Senator Francisco Tatad from government ranks means the trial will be a cliffhanger, with no clear indication whether Estrada will be convicted or acquitted.

- - - -

A poll showed the Italian centre right's popularity growing ahead of national elections due next spring.

The poll in the Corriere della Sera newspaper showed that between 53 and 55 percent of those asked said they would vote for centre-right parties and between 40 and 43 percent said they would vote for centre-left parties.

- - - -

Former US Senator George Mitchell expects to organize a technical team shortly for a fact-finding mission into Israeli-Palestinian violence, but has not decided if it will include police and military experts.

- - - -

The centre-right opposition Quad-Coalition swept the second round of voting for one-third of the Czech Senate, dealing a severe blow to the ruling Social Democrats.

The result effectively killed plans by the minority government and its parliamentary ally, the Civic Democrats, to slash the powers of President Vaclav Havel through constitutional reform.

- - - -

South Korea's main opposition party began a boycott of the National Assembly, delaying legislation including a request for 35,04 billion dollars in public money to help recapitalise ailing banks.

- - - -

Indonesian Vice-President Megawati Sukarnoputri has banned all ministers from travelling abroad in December except on most urgent business, saying there is too much to do at home.

The ban will have little real impact because the Islamic fasting month runs from late November to the end of December.

- - - -

Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid, recently ill with flu, will undergo medical treatment and has cancelled all meetings for the next three days.

Aides have said the 60-year-old president is tired and needs rest.

- - - -

Three frontline Kashmiri militant groups and the Himalayan region's separatist alliance reacted coolly to India's temporary ceasefire.

The pro-Pakistan Hizbul Mujahideen said it would match New Delhi's unprecedented gesture only if it was the start of a larger peace process in Kashmir, a running sore in relations between nuclear rivals India and Pakistan.

- - - -

A day after an historic visit to Communist Vietnam by US President Bill Clinton in which he urged greater political openness, the chief of staff of Vietnam People's Army, Le Van Dung, warned of plots by hostile forces to undermine socialism.

[06] Weather

Winds will be southwesterly to northwesterly, light, three beaufort, and locally moderate, four beaufort, over slight seas.

Tonight will be clear with a few sparse clouds.

Winds will be generally northwesterly to northeasterly, light, two to three beaufort, over slight seas.

Temperatures will drop to 11 degrees inland, to 13 along the coast, and to 8 over the mountains.

The fire hazard is very high in all forest areas.

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