Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English, 00-03-30

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

CONTENTS

THURSDAY 30 MARCH 2000

[01] HEADLINES

[02] BLOMBERG

[03] PAPHOS

[04] CRASH

[05] DEBT

[06] ECEVIT

[07] VOLCANO

[08] PLANETS

[09] PLANES

[10] RUSSIA

[11] IMC

[12] WEATHER

[01] HEADLINES

--- Chief negotiators from the six candidate countries for accession to the EU began a meeting today in Paphos.

--- In Sri Lanka, a Russian-built plane crashed, killing allo 40 persons on board.

--- The 15 ambassadors of the UN Security Council are to tour the US capital today, to press Washington to pay its huge UN debt.

---Turkish Prime Minister, Bulent Ecevit, said today he was concerned about political and economic stability following a government parliamentary defeat.

And

--- A military helicopter spotted cracks opening up today on the slopes of a rumbling volcano on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido.

[02] BLOMBERG

Speaking in the Turkish occupied areas, after meetings with Turkish Cypriot political party leaders, Mr. Blomberg expressed support for the UN process towards finding a settlement.

[03] PAPHOS

The six countries are Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Poland, Hungary and Slovenia.

The negotiators will discuss the strategy to be followed in order to accelerate accession negotiations this year, the Inter-Governmental Conference for the reformation of EU institutions, as well as harmonisation problems and methods to monitor progress on special chapters.

[04] CRASH

Witnesses said the plane caught fire before it crashed near a state-run school. Unconfirmed reports said the pilot had reported engine trouble minutes earlier.

On board the plane, chartered by the air force, were 36 troops and four crew. Air force officials said the troops were returning to the capital to attend funerals of relatives killed in recent fighting with Tamil Tiger rebels in the north.

It took off from the northern air base of Palali in the rebels' former stronghold of Jaffna.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam have been fighting for a separate homeland for minority Tamils in the island's north and east since 1983.

The air force has lost several planes and helicopters in the war against the Tigers.

In February, two people were killed when a Bell 212 helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing after coming under heavy rebel fire.

[05] DEBT

Not all countries, especially Russia, are eager at the prospect of making a pilgrimage to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee whose chairman, Jesse Helms, an intractable critic of the United Nations, initiated the trip.

But all accepted his invitation, with some saying they would speak bluntly about the 1.7-billion-dollar US debt to the world body and others saying the outing was an opportunity to increase public support for the United Nations.

Most of the day will be spent on Capitol Hill where the 15 ambassadors get a tour of the US Senate.

They then speak at a round-table meeting on UN reform, which usually concerns money, and on peacekeeping, which is growing rapidly this year and an area where the US debt is largest.

[06] ECEVIT

Mr. Ecevit, speaking before leaving for India, told reporters he would push ahead with a legislative package despite Wednesday's defeat. It would go to a second session of parliament next week.

His left-right coalition failed to gain the votes necessary for a constitutional amendment to allow President Suleyman Demirel to serve a second term.

Mr. Ecevit sees his retention in office as important for the stability of his coalition. But it is clear from figures that many of Mr. Ecevit's right-wing coalition partners voted 'no'.

[07] VOLCANO

Dozens of earthquakes and tremors were shaking the volcano and surrounding villages every hour and officials have told residents to move further away after nearly 10,000 people were evacuated yestreday amid warnings of an eruption.

Cracks up to 100 metres long on the slopes of the 732-metre Mount Usu were spotted by a military helicopter patrol.

Some 3,300 military personnel are on standby, preparing food, water and blankets in case a full evacuation of the area becomes necessary and 40 others were sent on reconnaissance missions.

Scientists have said there is a strong chance of an eruption, since history shows the mountain's volcanic eruptions are often preceded by one to several days of heightened seismic activity.

[08] PLANETS

The discovery boosted the likelihood that even smaller planets -- perhaps the size of Earth -- exist elsewhere in the universe.

The newly detected planets are the latest in a growing number found by a team of astronomers collecting and analysing data provided by Hawaii's Keck I telescope, the sharpest optical telescope in the world.

The 30 planets detected outside our solar system so far had all been at least the size of Jupiter -- tremendous planets made up of swirling masses of helium and hydrogen gasses and, presumably, inhospitable to life.

[09] PLANES

The grimy staple of Victorian steam engines and turn-of-the-century boiler rooms looks likely to be a key element in new jet fuels which burn hotter, cleaner, safer and faster than petroleum-based products.

Research conducted by the Pennsylvania State University's Energy Institute over some nine years and funded to the tune of 18.4 million dollars by the US Air Force, has concluded that coal can overcome a major obstacle to the development of faster, ramjet-powered aircraft able to travel as much as nine times the speed of sound.

That obstacle has been heat, specifically the amount of heat that the fuel is exposed to as the jet engine operates.

[10] RUSSIA

Embassy spokesman, Vladimir Zatsebin, said that the illegal regime may have participated in the Turkish stand, but added that it had definitely not been officially present.

[11] IMC

The purchase of IMC cost Universal Life 15 million pounds and is in the context of the company's policy to extend works in other sectors of the economy.

CyBC sources said that the deal was achieved yesterday and that the agreement will be signed today.

The transfer of the Cyprus Stock Exchange to the IMC building on April 15 will not be affected by this deal.

[12] WEATHER

Winds will be westerly, light, 3 beaufort, over slight seas.

Tonight will be mainly clear, with northwesterly, light winds, 2 to 3 beaufort, over slight seas.

Temperatures will drop to 11 degrees inland and along the west coast, to 13 along the south coast, and to 10 over the mountains.

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