Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English, 01-04-09

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

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

CONTENTS

[01] HEADLINES

[02] KASOULIDES-POWELL

[03] ATTGEN YUGO

[04] TURKEY CRISIS

[05] OCCU SIT'N

[06] US CHINA CRISIS

[07] MIDEAST

[08] CYPRUS LEBANON AGR/MENT

[09] CSE

[10] TAILER

[11] WEATHER MONDAY 9 APRIL 2001

[01] HEADLINES

Turkey's economic crisis appears to be spreading to the occupied areas of Cyprus;

The impasse between the US and China over last Sunday's mid-air collision continues;

More violence marks the West Bank and the Gaza Strip;

Cyprus and Lebanon sign a mutual co-operation agreement;

The CSE kicks off the week on a positive note;

and...

Who really rules the world? France's Foreign Minister gives his opinion.

[02] KASOULIDES-POWELL

Prior to the Kasoulides-Powell meeting, Cyprus' Foreign Minister will be meeting with President George W. Bush's National Security Advisor, Condoleeza Rice.

While in the United States, Foreign Minister Kasoulides also gave an interview to CNN, in which he called on the US administration to maintain its interest in efforts towards a Cyprus settlement, and also lend particular weight to the island's EU-accession course.

Another issue touched upon during the interview was Cyprus' alleged involvement in the laundering of Yugoslav funds, in relation to which Mr Kasoulides said that the island's authorities are freely and readily providing all information requested by both Belgrade and the International Court at The Hague in order to help the ongoing investigations.

Foreign Minister Kasoulides noted however that given the existing evidence, nothing untoward or suspect has been established.

[03] ATTGEN YUGO

Speaking on our Third Radio Channel, Alecos Markides mentioned that the two alleged cases reported by the Yugoslav authorities have been duly investigated, and that all the collected and collated information will be promptly conveyed to Belgrade.

Pressed to be more specific, the Attorney-General of the Republic confined himself to saying that the matter concerns the expropriation of funds belonging to the Yugoslav people, but stopped short of disclosing particular details.

[04] TURKEY CRISIS

Yesterday, some 2 thousand traders took to the streets of Constantinople in a peaceful march demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit's government over its handling of the crisis.

Responding to the calls, Mr Ecevit issued a plea for calm, saying that protest demonstrations do nothing but harm his administration's efforts to secure loans from international organisations.

Turkey's Cabinet was today expected to convene in order to discuss the latest developments and decide on further steps to be taken.

[05] OCCU SIT'N

Commenting on the situation, the leader of the occupied areas' Republican Turkish Party, Mehmet Ali Talat, said that the Turkish-Cypriot people are going through the worst days of their history and warned of the dangers of what he termed a "popular uprising.

Charging the illegal regime of being nothing but a mere spectator in light of the developments, Mehmet Ali Talat further called on Rauf Denktash to step down from the leadership of the Turkish-Cypriots, accusing him of driving the community to destruction, while also creating problems for Turkey through his intransigent policy on the Cyprus Issue.

Responding, Rauf Denktash criticised Mr Talat for considering his regime's co-operation with Turkey a crime, and once again stressed that Turkey has and always will stand by the side of the Turkish-Cypriot community.

At the same time, a number of other Turkish-Cypriot organisations and associations are also calling for Mr Denktash's immediate resignation.

[06] US CHINA CRISIS

Commenting on the situation, US Vice-President Dick Cheney made it perfectly clear that Washington is not about to apologise over the incident, while also expressing the wish that the crisis will soon be resolved.

At the same time, Secretary of State Powell warned China that the soonest possible release of the reconnaissance plane's 24-member crew, who yesterday began a second week in detention, forms a precondition for the healing of the rift which has ensued in Sino-American relations.

Beijing however is also insisting on its position that Washington extends an official apology, with China's military leadership echoing the demand.

[07] MIDEAST

A spokesman for the Israeli Army said that the soldiers were merely acting in self-defence after Palestinians opened fire against a military camp and two outposts in the area, while a Palestinian security source was cited as saying that the Israeli troops were first to attack using heavy artillery against a Palestinian checkpoint.

Last night meanwhile, and in retaliation to an earlier Palestinian mortar attack, the Israeli Army unleashed a rocket assault against Fatah organisation offices, also striking the northern Gaza Palestinian Police station.

Four civilians were reported wounded in the assault, including a 10-year-old boy, while two Palestinian homes were also reported ruined.

Yesterday also saw an 18-month-old girl being shot in the head and critically wounded by Israeli troops during a stone-throwing demonstration held by Palestinians.

[08] CYPRUS LEBANON AGR/MENT

The agreement, the first of its kind between the two countries, was signed by Finance Ministers Takis Kliridis and Fuad Siniora, and aims at bolstering Cypro-Lebanese economic co-operation as well as providing guarantees over non-commercial risks taken by individuals or companies investing in the other signatory's territory.

The actual signing of the agreement was preceeded by extensive talks between the two ministers, during which the two countries' respective economies were reviewed, while various matters related to bilateral co-operation in the fields of economics and finance were also discussed.

[09] CSE

The overall volume of trading remained relatively low however, reaching just 6 million, 470 thousand pounds.

[10] TAILER

Experts could argue for hours over a question like that, but French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine has a ready -- and quite revealing -- answer.

Asked by the Paris-based magazine "La Revue Internationale et Strategique", Vedrine spelled out his hierarchy of real global power in the following order:

1, Nobody -- or chance or chaos theory;

2, The Americans, rated in order as: people saving for retirement through pension funds, company chairmen, financiers, rating agencies, journalists, movie makers, researchers, lobbies, American beliefs, and the president;

3, Five or six other political, economic and cultural powers of global influence, including France and the emerging Europe;

4, The leaders of all other countries and secretaries-general of international organisations;

5, Organised crime;

and 6, At the fringes, anyone who can throw grains of sand into the mechanism -- peoples, passions, individuals and bugs.

So who does rule the world? Definitely food for thought there!

[11] WEATHER

Generally fair conditions are also forecast for this evening, even though mist and low cloud could form in areas. Winds will abate to light northerlies, on slight to moderate seas, while temperatures will drop to 10C inland and in the west, 12C in other coastal regions, and 6C on the higher reaches of the Troodos mountains.

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