Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English, 01-02-23

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

CONTENTS

[01] HEADLINES

[02] Turkey situation

[03] Vassos Crespo

[04] Tsiakourmas

[05] Tsiakourmas trial

[06] Foot and mouth

[07] Bush Blair

[08] Mideast wrap

[09] Cse today

[10] Tailer

[11] Weather FRIDAY 23 FEBRUARY 2001

[01] HEADLINES

Relatives of Panikos Tsiakourmas, abducted by turkish occupation forces on the 13th of December, inside British Bases territory, presented resolutions at the embassies of the five permanent member-states of the security council, in Nicosia, requesting the immediate release of Panikos,

Britain set itself a week to contain a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak that has triggered a world ban on exports of its livestock and animal products and plunged the farming sector into a new crisis AND

Sheriff Warren Hege hosts a television show from his county jail, which he calls the toughest -- and the pinkest, in America.

[02] Turkey situation

"The people are burning" was the headline in Yeni Safak newspaper while Hurriyet's front page was "The longest day".

Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit left late last night for a Balkan summit, leaving the dust to settle after the lira tumbled 28 percent on its first day since Turkey abandoned a controlled currency regime.

Many blame the turmoil on a public row at the start of the week between the 75-year-old prime minister and President Ahmet Necdet Sezer over fighting corruption.

Whoever is to blame, the result is clear for Turkish people -- their pay packets lost 28 percent of their value yesterday, and the man on the street will be hoping Ecevit's promises that the lira will recover and stabilise prove true todayy.

Prices of imported products, particularly oil, for which Turkey is entirely dependent on imports, are likely to rise sharply after the devaluation.

Internationally, investors and ratings agencies are watching Ecevit's government for word on how Turkey plans to run its economy now that it has abandoned the mainstay of an 11 billion dollar IMF-backed disinflation and reform plan.

Before flying to Skopje last evening for talks with Balkan leaders, Ecevit brushed off calls from business and labour groups for ministers and bureaucrats to be sacked.

[03] Vassos Crespo

The president of the Socialist group, Enrique Crespo referred to the importance of the decisions reached at the Nice Eu Summit, regarding efforts for European Union enlargement.

He was speaking at a joint press conference with the president of the Social Democrat Movement, Kisos, Vassos Lyssarides and other officials of the party.

The Socialist MPs expressed their support in a peaceful solution of the Cyprus problem based on relevant UN resolutions, demanding that turkish-cypriot leader Rauf Denktash alters his intransigent stance.

Lyssarides said that socialist MPs are visiting Cyprus to aid his party in the election campaign for the upcoming parliamentary elections.

[04] Tsiakourmas

Meanwhile, at four in the afternoon, a mass rally will be held at the Central Eleftheria square in Nicosia, to condemn the abduction and continued detention of Panikos by the occupation regime.

Various parties and organisations have called on their members to attend the rally.

[05] Tsiakourmas trial

During cross-examination by Tsiakourmas' turkish-cypriot lawyer Aziz Mentesh, the pseudo-officer contradicted himself regarding the events that took place on the abduction day.

He also claimed that two blocks of cannabis were found in Tsiakourmas' possession right after his arrest.

The pseudo-judge later adjourned the sham-trial and set the 28th of February as the date of its continuation.

Present at the proceedings, were Tsiakourmas' wife Niki and other relatives.

[06] Foot and mouth

Officials warned the public to keep out of the countryside to prevent the spread of the highly contagious disease while they scrambled to find the source of the outbreak, checking farms, meat imports and even pet pig owners.

The disease had been found at a second location, close to an abattoir in southeast England where the outbreak was first discovered.

In Brussels, experts fear the virus is so contagious it may yet spark an outbreak on the Continent, a nightmare scenario that could bring Europe's meat trade to its knees.

They said it was not only exported livestock that threatened Britain's neighbours because the virus can also be carried by the wind, on the soles of tourists' shoes or the wheels of cars.

[07] Bush Blair

Blair, who arrived late last night, hopes to reaffirm Britain's long-time "special relationship" with the United States and be a bridge between Europe and America, a role that has become more tricky since Bush took office in January.

Partners in the NATO alliance have mutual doubts about military plans being hatched on either side of the Atlantic. Older squabbles over things like bananas and beef complicate trade relations.

But Blair said before leaving London he thought it would be a "disastrous misjudgment" to push America and Europe apart.

[08] Mideast wrap

The bombs exploded as the army was checking and opening two major roads

A brief exchange of fire followed but no one was injured in the violence, the latest in almost five months of Israeli-Palestinian clashes.

Sharon, who defeated incumbent Ehud Barak in a prime ministerial election on February 6, had hoped to lure Barak's centre-left Labour Party into a coalition with his right-wing Likud before U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell visits Israel this weekend.

But the heavy election defeat and Sharon's coalition offer have opened divisions in Labour, and it has yet to agree. Sharon now has his sights set on forming a government next week.

Powell is to meet Barak, 59, and Sharon, 72, during his visit to Israel. Powell is making his first Middle East tour as secretary of state and is also due to meet Palestinian President Yasser Arafat.

Meanwhile, Israel today tightened its blockade on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, two days before Powell's arrival.

The army set up a new checkpoint, effectively dividing the Gaza Strip in half.

[09] Cse today

The All share Price Index fell by one point forty-three percent, closing at 202 point 82 units.

Volume of trading reached six point eight million pounds.

The CSE/FTSE-20 index was also down by one point sixty-nine percent.

[10] Tailer

Sheriff Warren Hege hosts a television show from his county jail, which he calls the toughest -- and the pinkest, in America.

The sheriff of Davidson County in rural central North Carolina, who painted his jail bright pink to make inmates feel like "sissies," is an up-and-coming star on Court TV.

He tapes his prime-time show, "Inside Cell Block F," featuring interviews with inmates, once a week from the jail and the cable network screens nightly reruns.

Prisoners in Hege's 300-bed facility, most of whom are awaiting trial or serving short sentences, dress in striped uniforms.

Accused felons wear orange-and-white stripes; those charged with sexual offenses wear green stripes; cooks and others doing jobs around the jail wear blue stripes, while the road squad, which does work outside, wears black stripes.

The jail block walls also feature paintings of teddy bears crying.

Most prisoners are locked up 23 hours a day, with one hour to take a shower and make telephone calls.

[11] Weather

Winds will be moderate, westerly to southwesterly, four to five beufort, over moderate to rough seas in some areas.

Tonight, local showers are expected.

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

Temperatures will reach 6 degrees inland, 9 on the coast and 0 on the mountains.

The depth of snow on mount Olympus is 65 centimetres and 50 in Troodos square.

All roads to Troodos are open only for four wheel drive and vehicles with snow chains.

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