Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English, 01-01-10

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

CONTENTS

[01] Headlines

[02] Irish

[03] SirDavid

[04] Tziakourma

[05] Tekogul

[06] World

[07] Stock

[08] Anastasiades

[09] Omirou

[10] Phones

[11] Programmes

[12] Weather WEDNESDAY 10 JANUARY 2001

[01] Headlines

--- Britain's Special Representative for Cyprus Sir David Hannay arrives in Cyprus today for a series of talks, in view of the next round of proximity talks.

--- Niki Tziakourma, wife of Panicos who was abducted by Turkish troops and is being held illegally in the Turkish occupied areas, has wrapped up her meetings in London.

And

--- US President Bill Clinton's last-gasp Middle East peace drive faltered as confusion reigned over the fate of a mission by an American envoy.

[02] Irish

Speaking after a meeting with House of Representatives President Spyros Kyprianou, Mr. Ahern said Ireland could help towards a solution and in promoting the island's accession course.

He said Ireland is already a member of the Union and will soon be part of the UN Security Council.

Mr. Ahern, who has wrapped up his visit to Cyprus, said that there were many ways to promote Cyprus' accession course.

Mr. Kyprianou said his meeting with Mr. Ahern was very constructive, noting that he briefed the Taoiseach on Turkish intransigence and Turkey's refusal to abandon its expansionist policy.

The House President is expected to visit Ireland early this year.

[03] SirDavid

Sir David will meet this afternoon with Minister of Foreign Affairs Ioannis Kasoulides and will be received tomorrow morning by President Glafcos Clerides.

During his three-day stay, Sir David will also meet with leaders or representatives of political parties and the ambassadors of European Union countries to Cyprus.

[04] Tziakourma

Mrs. Tziakourma, who was in London with her husband's brother, Yiannis, returns to Cyprus today, after efforts to promote the release of Panicos, who was abducted within the British Bases.

She said the Foreign Office was handling the matter and that efforts would be made for her husband's speedy release.

Mrs. Tziakourma told CyBC that the British were certain that her husband was not involved in drug trafficking, as the Turks claimed, and that he had definitely been abducted from within the British Bases.

[05] Tekogul

Tekogul pleaded not guilty on the eight charges read out to him, all related to possession of heroin.

The trial will continue on January 29.

The suspect's Turkish Cypriot lawyer said he did not understand the translation of the charges and demanded a different interpreter.

[06] World

Israel and the United States said veteran troubleshooter Dennis Ross had delayed his mission until Thursday and a senior Palestinian official source said Clinton had agreed to cancel the trip altogether.

A senior Israeli official active in Prime Minister Ehud Barak's peace efforts said he had met Palestinian President Yasser Arafat meanwhile in the hope of easing violence that has raged for nearly 15 weeks.

Meanwhile, Egypt and Saudi Arabia have thrown their support behind the Palestinians saying there could be no peace in the Middle East without Palestinian sovereignty over Arab East Jerusalem and the refugees' right to return.

- - - -

Gerhard Schroeder, battling to restore credibility in his government and in German beef, is set to hand new powers over farming and food safety to his environmentalist coalition partners, the Greens.

Political sources said the chancellor, facing a major test from the mad cow disease debacle ahead of next year's general election, would name Greens co-leader Renate Kuenast to run agriculture in place of his old ally and pro-factory farming lobbyist Karl-Heinz Funke, who quit yesterday.

- - - -

NATO Secretary-General George Robertson is to hold a news conference amid calls for alliance action over health fears for peacekeepers exposed to depleted uranium weapons fired by NATO in the Balkans.

- - - -

US President-elect George W. Bush, rocked by the withdrawal of beleaguered cabinet pick Linda Chavez, raced today to find a replacement and fill three more jobs as he focused again on military matters.

- - - -

Two Chinese air force planes crashed at different times in central China on January 4, killing 15 airmen and six villagers on the ground, according to a local government official.

- - - -

Indonesia and rebels in Aceh province have agreed to a one-month ceasefire that extends a truce set to expire next week in the rebels' armed struggle for independence.

- - - -

Billionaire telecoms tycoon Thaksin Shinawatra forecast today that his party would secure a comfortable parliamentary majority and said results so far understated his landslide in Saturday's general election.

- - - -

Fresh turmoil loomed on Japan's political horizon as a key faction in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party looked set to split in feuding over its leader's failed bid to oust Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori.

- - - -

Cell mates of a man accused of killing 15 people in an Australian hostel blaze told a court that he had confessed to barricading the exits to trap backpackers after starting the fire.

- - - -

Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden has celebrated the wedding in Afghanistan of his son to the daughter of one of his aides.

- - - -

A South African man bit his way to freedom after he was attacked by a python that tried to squeeze him to death.

- - - -

The UN Security Council plans to lift an arms embargo against Ethiopia and Eritrea today as the United States demanded, despite misgivings the weapons ban would end too soon after fighting stopped.

- - - -

The new head of the United Nations refugee agency yesterday issued an urgent plea for aid to hundreds of thousands of refugees in Guinea who fled fighting in neighboring countries.

- - - -

US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has suggested a foreign policy agenda for her successor and said she hoped for continuity in the Balkans, Africa, Latin America and North Korea.

- - - -

A strong earthquake measuring 6.9 on the open-ended Richter scale rocked the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu today but there were no reports of damage.

[07] Stock

The All Share Index dropped to 236,98 units, recording losses of 0,65 percent.

Traded value reached 7,3 million pounds, compared to 8 million yesterday.

[08] Anastasiades

The Congress begins today and ends on January 14.

The Democratic Rally has submitted a resolution on the Cyprus problem, which includes references to recent developments, Turkish intransigence and the island's European Union accession course.

The resolution calls for the more active involvement of the European Union in the Cyprus problem.

[09] Omirou

One of the issues on the Congress' agenda is the Cyprus problem and the island's European Union accession course, in the light of the report to be submitted by Swedish Prime Minister Lena Vallen, on behalf of the European Socialist Party delegation, which visited Cyprus two months ago.

Mr. Omirou will address the Congress on recent developments and Turkish threats to annex the Turkish occupied areas of the Republic to Turkey.

[10] Phones

The new telephone numbers are 86 20 00 and 86 24 86.

[11] Programmes

Due to the live link with the House of Representatives for the discussion on the state budget, the main Greek news bulletin of CyBC's Television Channel One will be broadcast on Channel two at a-quarter-past-eight.

CyBC's Television Channel Two will also host the six o'clock news bulletin in Greek.

[12] Weather

Winds will be westerly to southwesterly, moderate, three to four beaufort, over slight to moderate seas.

Tonight will be generally clear with clouds in the upper atmosphere.

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

Temperatures will drop to 8 degrees inland, to 10 along the coast, and to 4 over the mountains.

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