Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English, 01-09-13

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

CONTENTS

[01] Headlines

[02] US Attacks Wrap

[03] Kabul Trenches

[04] Suspect Searches

[05] Bin Laden

[06] Global Aviation

[07] Coshis Measures

[08] Cypriot Attack

[09] Clerides tomorrow

[10] Denktash statements

[11] Cse interruption

[12] Weather THURSDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2001

[01] Headlines

A Cypriot is among the dead,

Arab nationals Kabul were reported to have evacuated the Afghan capital as other residents began digging trenches in anticipation of possible U.S. retaliation for Tuesday's terror attacks,

Eight thousand people are involved in the massive investigation launched to track down, those behind the attacks. At least two thousand people are considered suspects,

An aide to Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden said the militant had denied any role in the attacks,

In Cyprus, Justice Minister Nikos Koshis said that heightened security measures, at the American Embassy in Nicosia and other buildings housing American interests, shall remain in place,

and

The Cyprus Stock Exchange has been plagued for a third time this week, by a bomb scare.

[02] US Attacks Wrap

President George W. Bush called the attacks, an "act of war" while NATO invoked its mutual defense clause for the first time in its 52-year history, opening the way for a possible collective military response to Tuesday's shattering attacks.

In New York and in Washington, rescuers searched desperately for survivors, pawing through the rubble of national landmarks destroyed by hijackers using fuel-laden commercial jets as missiles.

Officials in Washington said the attack might have been even worse, citing "credible evidence" the White House and presidential jet Air Force One, meaning the president himself, had also been targets.

Financial markets remained closed at least until Friday.

Knife-wielding hijackers commandeered four planes on Tuesday, two of them from Boston's Logan airport. Two aircraft were flown into New York's World Trade Center, toppling the two highest structures in the city. A third seriously damaged the Pentagon. The fourth hijacked plane crashed in Pennsylvania.

In New York, where smoke continued to billow over the skyline where the twin 110-story twin towers once stood, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said the preliminary death toll was 82 but the figure would rise into the thousands as bodies were found.

At least 11 people, have been lifted alive from the rubble of the Empire State Building.

More than five thousand have been reported injured.

Two hundred and sixty six people perished on the four planes that crashed, while 370 firemen and police officers in New York, that rushed to the scene, are also presumed dead.

According to CNN reports, five thousand body bags, have been carried, at the site of the World Trade center, while five more thousand have been ordered, a tragic indication that the final death toll, will well exceeded this number.

The names of the dead, are being announced via the Internet. At least a hundred British citizens died in the attacks, but according to Scotland Yard, this number is expected to rise dramatically.

Meanwhile, the death toll from the Pentagon attack is expected to reach two hundred.

Around forty thousand people were inside or around the twin towers, at the time of the attack.

[03] Kabul Trenches

While it was not immediately clear how many Arab nationals live in Afghanistan, residents said almost all had left the capital.

Other residents said they had seen people digging trenches on the outskirts of the city and that other fortifications were being made.

The hardline Islamic Taliban movement which controls almost all of Afghanistan has given sanctuary to Saudi millionaire dissident Osama bin Laden, who U.S. officials say has his imprint all over the deadly terror attacks on New York and Washington in which thousands of people are believed to have been killed.

Bin Laden was blamed for the devastating 1998 bomb blasts at the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, after which Washington ordered missile attacks on his possible hideouts.

A British official said that an attack on Afghanistan is one option NATO is considering if evidence emerges that bin Laden was behind the U.S. terror attacks.

[04] Suspect Searches

According to CNN, at least 50 people were involved in the attacks, forty of which have been arrested.

U.S. agents searched homes and businesses in Florida in connection with the attacks, focusing on an aviation school where two suspects may have received flight training.

U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft said some of the hijackers were trained as pilots in the United States.

In Florida, search warrants were served on homes in Davie and Coral Springs, two towns west of Fort Lauderdale, on a home in Vero Beach, on Florida's east coast, on businesses in Hollywood and a home in Sarasota County on the west coast.

A newspaper reported FBI agents questioned an employee of a Florida flight school who may have housed two of the suspects in his home for a short time and seized files and a computer from the school.

Local academics said it was no surprise federal agents had focused attention on ethnically diverse south and central Florida, teeming with immigrants from around the world.

The passenger manifests of the hijacked jets included the names of at least four Florida residents suspected of being supporters of Osama bin Laden.

[05] Bin Laden

According to an Arab journalist in Pakistan, the aide, who did not want to be named, called him from an undisclosed location by satellite phone yesterday, to issue the denial.

The aide quoted bin Laden as calling the attacks on U.S. landmarks in New York and Washington, "punishment from almighty Allah", adding that bin Laden said: "I have no information about the attackers or their aims and I don't have any links with them.

[06] Global Aviation

The U.S. government late in the day cleared airlines for limited service as soon as they could meet tighter security requirements. Those included a ban on knives and a ban on curbside check-in. Air marshals, or armed plainclothes security guards, were to be placed on domestic flights.

Only flights diverted from their original destination during Tuesday's emergency were being allowed to fly. No timetable was given for full service.

Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta said security concerns prevented a full resumption of U.S. airline service

Some 23,000 thousand daily air departures were not taking off.

Major airports like Chicago's O'Hare International were turning away passengers.

Any international flights originating in the United States were also stopped. European carriers were still in talks with U.S. officials.

Almost two million passengers take to the skies each day in the United States

[07] Coshis Measures

In statements outside the Embassy, were he signed a condolences book for the victims of the attack, Koshis said that Cyprus police will continue guarding American intererests, for as long as it takes.

Commenting on reports that Osama Bin Laden's brother is in Cyprus, the Justice Minister neither confirmed nor denied it. He admitted that the man, has businesses in Cyprus, but he has no problems with the law and is not in hiding.

The condolences book at the American Embassy was also signed today by former president of the republic Spiros Kiprianou, Archbishop Chrysostomos, the Commander of UNFICYP, DIKO president Tassos Papadopoulos and thousand of ordinary citizens.

[08] Cypriot Attack

Tarus, living in the States, was a crew leader on the United Airlines plane, which hit the second tower of the World Trade Center.

Tarus' family descent is the occupied Karpas village of Koma Tou Yialou.

Tragically, his fiancee Eimy King, was also in the plane. She managed to contact Tarus' father, Dimitris, and told him that the plane had been taken over by terrorists.

Tarus was born in New York and had been workng at United Airlines for ten years. He had a ten year old daughter, from a previous marriage.

Tarus' death was confirmed to our station by Cyprus Ambassador to Washington Erato Kozakou Markoulli, head of the Cyprus delegation in European accession negotiations Yiorgos Vassiliou, who is currently in the States, as well as the president of the Federation of American Cypriots Savvas Tsivikos.

Markoulli and Tsivikos referred to Michalis' father as an active member of the Cyprus community in the United States.

He had settled in the country tens of years ago, did his phd in education, and was living in Florida.

The Cyprus Ambassador did not rule out the possibility of more Cypriots being among the dead, since, the names of the victims have not been officially announced yet.

[09] Clerides tomorrow

The president of the republic will today travel to Zurich via Montreal, Canada, where hia plane has landed due to the attacks.

[10] Denktash statements

In an interview, Denktash claimed that he did not reject a meeting with the United Nations Secretary General, but the resumption of talks.

He said that he has sent an official letter to Kofi Anan, outlining his positions, while also blatantly claiming that President Clerides accepted the invitation to talks and trevelled to New York, merely for tactical reasons.

[11] Cse interruption

A man called to say there was a bomb in the building, twn minutes after the start of today's session, and the building was evacuated half an hour later.

Initially, CSE director Nontas Metaksas, gave orders to continue trading, however due to technical errors, the session was interrupted.

At the time of the break, the All Shares Price Index, was down a staggering eleven point four percent, at 117 point 30 units.

However, these numbers are not representative, because a technical glitch, meant that share prices, were not correctly assessed.

Police searched the building, but found no bomb.

[12] Weather

Winds will be westerly, light to moderate, three to four beaufort, turninh strong five to six beaufort on the south coast, over moderate to south seas.

Tonight, it will be mainly clear.

Winds will be light northwesterly, three beaufort, over slight seas.

Temperatures will fall to 18 degrees inland, 20 on the coast and 13 on the mountains.

The fire hazard is very high in all forest areas.

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