Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English, 99-06-15

Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

CONTENTS

TUESDAY 15 JUNE 1999

[01] HEADLINES

[02] BELGIUM COCA COLA

[03] DIOXIN

[04] CLERIDES KYPRIANOU

[05] YUGOSLAVIA BODIES

[06] KOSOVO REFUGEES

[07] MILOSEVIC

[08] KOREA WAR

[09] RAIN

[10] WEATHER

[01] HEADLINES

--- South Korea said today that it sank one North Korean gunboat in their first naval clash since the 1950-1953 Korean War.

--- Kosovo refugees began returning to their homes from Albania today.

AND

--- Road traffic is the fastest growing source of pollution in Europe according to a new report by the World Health Organisation.

[02] BELGIUM COCA COLA

The Belgian government, which resigned yesterday after losing an election fought largely over another food health scare, ordered Coca-Cola to withdraw all its products after more than 100 children fell ill.

Coca-Cola confirmed it would comply with the order but stressed it was still mystified as to the cause of the problem.

The European Commission issued a rapid alert notice to all EU countries notifying them of the potential problem.

The health warning came as Belgium was still reeling from a dioxin-in-food crisis, which led to a range of meats, eggs and dairy products being pulled from supermarket shelves.

The scare over cancer-causing dioxin in animal feed, Europe's worst food scandal since the mad cow beef crisis, sparked world-wide bans on Belgian products and toppled the government in a general election on Sunday.

[03] DIOXIN

The decision was taken at a meeting of the technical subcommittee of the Public Health Coordinating Committee.

Proposals were also drawn up to be submitted to the coordinating committee to handle the issue of restricted products.

Decisions concerning products from Belgium continue to be in effect, including the ban on imports of products suspected of containing dioxin.

[04] CLERIDES KYPRIANOU

This morning, Mr Kyprianou briefed President Clerides on the issue.

President Clerides decided to ask Mr Brill to explain this behaviour.

[05] YUGOSLAVIA BODIES

Dutch NATO peacekeepers said that a KLA commander had told them another two houses on the road from Prizren to Orahovac contained the bodies of more murdered Kosovar Albanians.

One house was said to contain the remains of 11 children, the other the corpses of around 30 old men.

The Hague-based UN War Crimes Tribunal said an advance coordination team was en route to Kosovo to pave the way for the arrival of war crimes investigators from the Tribunal itself.

[06] KOSOVO REFUGEES

Some 3,000 ethnic Albanians, ignoring repeated warnings to stay in camps until they were told Kosovo was safe, set out in vehicles and on foot.

The KLA, which occupied the former Yugoslav border post after German NATO troops told Serb forces to withdraw on Sunday, were noting the names of the refugees and then letting them through.

The Germans had also removed their barbed wire barriers.

No incidents were reported during the reverse exodus today. Three refugees were reported to have been injured by mines as they entered Kosovo yesterday over the mountains after they were prevented from using the main road.

German troops, who had manned a checkpoint 100 metres beyond the Vermica border station, said the KLA had been asked to retreat from the checkpoint although a liaison officer would be allowed to stay.

[07] MILOSEVIC

Despite being named by Western powers as the main obstacle to Serbia's rehabilitation, Mr Milosevic appeared alongside top government and army officials in the central town of Aleksinac to speak about reconciliation for the first time in years.

He said, without elaborating, that it would be easiest to restore ties with the "democratic and progressive part of the world".

Mr Milosevic made no public appearances during NATO's 78-day bombing campaign, intended to end attacks on Kosovo's majority ethnic Albanians by Mr Milosevic's security forces and re-establish autonomy for a province where Serb rule was central to his rise to power on a wave of nationalism.

But last week he made a televised address to the nation to claim victory after NATO air strikes were suspended.

Yesterday, he went to Serbia's second city, Novi Sad, for his first appearance in public since October, standing in front of a bombed bridge to launch a post-war reconstruction campaign.

Today, the influential Serbian Church -- which is at the heart of much Serb nationalism and sees its roots in Kosovo -- called for Mr Milosevic to step down and for a government of national salvation to take over Yugoslavia.

Since ending the bombing, Western countries have insisted that they want Serbia to benefit from a huge Balkan reconstruction plan -- but that this requires democratic reforms which will not be possible until Mr Milosevic goes

[08] KOREA WAR

Four North Korean patrol boats and three torpedo boats intruded into South Korean waters this morning and opened fire with 25-mm cannon on several Southern patrol boats.

Some of the eight South Korean warships in the area returned fire with their 40-mm cannons, sinking one 40-tonne torpedo boat and damaging five others.

A 155-tonne North Korean patrol boat, earlier reported to be wallowing in South Korean waters, limped back to the northern side of the sea border.

A 420-tonne patrol boat and two 81-tonne patrol boats were also seriously damaged on the North Korean side. Two other North Korean patrol boats suffered lighter damage.

Seven South Korean soldiers were slightly injured in the clash and two South Korean boats were lightly damaged.

It was the worst incident between the Koreas since the South Korean forces sank a Northern spy vessel off the southern tip of the peninsula in December, killing the spy boat's crew. It was the first Yellow Sea clash since the Korean War and the first involving regular navy ships from both sides in recent memory.

[09] RAIN

Houses and road flooded, cars were immobilised and dozens of people were trapped in lifts.

The rain started at 1:40 in the afternoon and was accompanied by gales and hailstones the size of an almond.

The Aglantzia areas got the worst of the storm, as dozens of homes were flooded.

The Fire Brigade received over 150 calls to pump water out of dwellings and give other assistance.

The premises of the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation were also flooded.

Other parts of the capital affected include Dasoupolis, Acropolis, Strovolos, Kaimakli, Latsia and Geri.

[10] WEATHER

There will be a moderate seabreeze of four beaufort, and the sea will be slight.

The temperature will reach 33 degrees inland, 29 on the coast, and 23 over the mountains.

The fire hazard is high in all forest areas.

Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article