Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English, 00-01-20

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

CONTENTS

THURSDAY 20 FEBRUARY 2000

[01] PAPANDREOU

[02] DENKTASH

[03] CHECHNYA

[04] MIDEAST

[05] KYPRIANOU

[06] STOCK

[07] TREES

[08] WORLD IN BREEF

[09] RECORD

[10] CROCODILE

[11] WEATHER

[01] PAPANDREOU

Earlier on, Mr. Papandreou visited the mausoleum of Kemal Attaturk, on the outskirts of the Turkish capital, where he lay a wreath.

Signing the guest book, Mr. Papandreou wished that the courage of the dream and the friendship of Eleftherios Venizelos and Kemal Attaturk would lead both countries to a democratic Europe, common and peaceful for both peoples.

[02] DENKTASH

Mr. Denktash was commenting on a statement by Mr. Kasoulides that he was ready to go to Ankara for talks with the Turkish leadership, with or without his official status.

The Deputy Spokesman of the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Sermet Atacanli, said that Mr. Kasoulides would have to wait a long time before visiting Ankara.

[03] CHECHNYA

The Chechen rebel website "Kavkaz.org" said that 45 guerrillas had been killed and 60 wounded since yesterday, far more than rebels had reported since fighting began in September.

It said that Russian airstrikes and shelling "did not pause for a minute".

The website also said that 1,500 Russian troops had died storming the city since Moscow launched an all-out assault four days ago.

Both sides have tended to exaggerate enemy casualties while minimising reports of their own losses.

Russian NTV television said street battles were raging throughout the city and Russian troops were advancing to a strategic cement factory.

Kavkaz.org also said Chechen forces had captured a Russian Interior Ministry forces general, giving his name as General Malofeyev.

The Interior Ministry could not be reached immediately for comment.

[04] MIDEAST

Mr. Arafat voiced pessimism during a stop in Egypt despite official statements he and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak agreed on Monday to redouble efforts to close a framework deal for a treaty by an agreed upon February 13 deadline.

Mr. Barak, who came to power six months ago vowing to accelerate peace moves, angered Palestinians by delaying a handover of another 6.1 percent of the West Bank to Palestinian rule.

Mr. Arafat said he would ask Mr. Clinton, the leading mediator in Arab-Israeli peace moves, to get Israel to meet an agreed upon September deadline for the treaty Arafat hopes will give Palestinians an independent state.

Mr. Clinton had planned to meet Mr. Barak himself this week and Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq al-Shara.

But their third round in two months of revived Israeli-Syrian peace talks was put off because of differences over the fate of the Golan Heights.

[05] KYPRIANOU

The operation will take place at the Cleveland Foundation and is expected to last 14 hours.

Democratic Rally Spokesman, Andreas Constantinou, told the Cyprus News Agency that the doctors will try to fix the damage to the valve, which may have to be replaced in the end.

Mr. Kyprianou's personal doctor, Costas Zambartas, said that his patient's condition is quite serious and that there is a possibility of complications.

[06] STOCK

Total dealings increased by half a million pounds, reaching 19 million 955 thousand pounds.

Brokers estimate that today's floor showed an increase in dealings, due to the fact that the index opened at 635 units and closed at about 643.

[07] TREES

The Fire Brigade has arrived on the scene, between British Airways and Hilton Hotel, and is clearing the road.

[08] WORLD IN BREEF

- - - -

Dozens of Christian homes on Indonesia's Lombok island, now deserted by foreign tourists, were torched or looted during the night despite police threats to shoot rioters on sight.

- - - -

A German parliamentary inquiry into murky financial dealings by former Chancellor Helmut Kohl gets under way a day after his crippled party said the sums involved may be many times bigger than he admitted.

- - - -

The funeral of former Italian Prime Minister Bettino Craxi, who died yesterday in self-imposed exile in Tunisia, will be held tomorrow in Tunis.

- - - -

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan recommended deployment of more than 5,500 troops to help implement peace accords aimed at ending a many-sided conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

- - - -

Turkish police investigating radical Islamist guerrillas found three corpses in a house in Ankara a day after the discovery of 10 bodies, believed to be kidnap victims.

- - - -

An Iranian court fined German businessman Helmut Hofer, once held on death row for illicit sex with a Moslem woman, on a minor assault charge, paving the way for his return to Germany.

[09] RECORD

But the 17-minute, 45-second feat was far from easy as Ashrita Furman, a 46-year-old New Yorker, was almost blown over by a helicopter landing at the Marambio military base and the spring in his pogo-stick began to freeze just before his feat was up.

Furman, a health foods shop owner, said that breaking Guinness records brings him ever closer to his inner truth, adding that it was proof that human beings have unlimited potential.

In 1987 the Guinness Book of World Records named him "Mr. Versatility" for setting all sorts of records and being the world record holder of world records.

Saturday's feat was his 62nd world record.

Furman holds Guinness records for such things as yodeling for 27 hours, doing 1,649 squat jumps in an hour and balancing 57 pint glasses on his chin for 11 seconds.

[10] CROCODILE

Media reported that prostitutes at Mbita town attempted to remove the crocodile's genitals after wildlife officials had killed the beast while hunting for a rogue hippo.

It reported that crocodile genitals were highly regarded by prostitutes as a strong love potion.

Many people, including the whores, left the scene disappointed after the wardens hired a boat that carried the carcass, tied it to a boulder and sank it to the bottom of the lake.

[11] WEATHER

Winds will be westerly to northwesterly, strong, five to six beaufort, and locally very strong seven beaufort, over rough to very rough seas.

Tonight will be clear at times, with some local clouds and light snow on the mountains and even lower.

Winds will be northwesterly to northerly, strong, five to six beaufort, and locally very strong, seven beaufort, over rough to very rough seas.

Temperatures will drop to zero inland, to 4 along the coast, and to 5 over the mountains, with frost in many areas.

The snow on Mount Olympus is 40 centimetres deep, and in Troodos Square 30.

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