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Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English, 02-01-15
From: The Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation at <http://www.cybc.com.cy/>
CONTENTS
[01] Headlines
[02] Clerides Alvaro
[03] Talks
[04] Ecevit Bush
[05] Robbery police
[06] Attack Afghan
[07] Mideast wrap
[08] Quake indonesia
[09] Sex tailer
[10] Weather lunchtime
TUESDAY 15 JANUARY 2002
[01] Headlines
President of the Republic Glafkos Clerides held a second meeting with
the UN Special Advisor for the Cyprus problem Alvaro De Soto this
morning,
Direct settlement talks are starting at ten tomorrow morning at the
residence of the UN representative in Cyprus Zbignief Vlossovitch at
the Nicosia airport area,
Police are confident of quickly tracking down those responsible for
last nights' abduction and attempted robbery at a Bank of Cyprus branch
in Limassol,
U.S. warplanes began hunting for new targets after demolishing eastern
Afghan hideouts of al Qaeda and Taliban forces
and
Norwegians have the world's strongest yearning for sex in public
places.
[02] Clerides Alvaro
President of the Republic Glafkos Clerides held a second meeting with
the UN Special Advisor for the Cyprus problem Alvaro De Soto this
morning. During the one hour working lunch they discussed issues of
procedures concerning direct settlement talks starting tomorrow
morning. Government spokesman Michalis Papapetrou said that there will
be no other meeting between De Soto and President Clerides prior to the
start of the talks. Asked whether there are any differences between the
two sides, on procedure, he replied in the negative, adding that they
will be discussed further tomorrow. Commenting on Denktash's
intransigent statements, which contradict the recent positive climate,
the government spokesman said that what's important, is whether the
Turkish-cypriot leader will attend the talks, willing to enter
substantive negotiations.
Settlement talks will be held at the residence of the UN representative
in Cyprus Zbignief Vlossovitch at the Nicosia airport area. They will
start at ten tomorrow morning. President Clerides will be accompanied
by three advisors. That is, Papapetrou himself, the minister to the
president Pantelis Kouros and Attorney General Alekos Markides. Cybc's
first television channel will be covering the event live, as part of a
special current affairs programme.
[04] Ecevit Bush
Turkish prime minister Bulent Ecevit is meeting President Bush tomorrow
in Washington and are expected to discuss a series of issues, including
the Cyprus problem.Ecevit is in the United States for a four-day
official visit. Acccording to sources of the Greek news agency in
Athens, the Americans will advise Ecevit to exert pressure on
turkish-cypriot leader Rauf Denktash, in order to adopt a more
conciliatory policy and accept a compromise solution. The same sources
say that the Turkish prime minister will present a special present to
President Bush. A copy of the Koran. Ecevit's contacts are starting
today. He will meet the director of the International Monetary Fund and
the President of the World Bank, aiming to secure a new loan. The
turkish prime minister will also meet US defence minister Donald
Rumsfeld. Ecevit is expected to request a write off of its military
debt, to the tune of five billion dollars.
[05] Robbery police
Police are confident of quickly tracking down those responsible for
last nights' abduction and attempted robbery at a Bank of Cyprus branch
in Limassol. Among others, investigators have retrieved items belonging
to the abducted manager of the branch Philippos Avraamides, which the
perpetrators had taken with them. The unprecedented action was carried
out by two armed hooden men, who waited for Avraamides at around six
thirty in the afternoon, outside his home. As soon as Avraamided
parked his car, they forced him back in and after putting a hood on
him, led him back to the branch. Under the threat of a hunting rifle
and a pistol, they asked him to open the branch, so that they could get
the money. But when he said, that it was impossible to open the bank
with just his own key, they became enraged and led him to an isolated
area, after gagging him and putting tape over his eyes. They escaped in
a car driven by a third hooded man, taken Avraamides' briefcase, that
contained various documents, the bank keys and his mobile phone.
Avraamides somehow managed to contact police,that took him to Limassol
General Hospital. He suffered no injuries.
[06] Attack Afghan
U.S. warplanes began hunting for new targets after demolishing eastern
Afghan hideouts of al Qaeda and Taliban forces as Japan said it may
pledge 500 million dollars for the reconstruction of war-battered
Afghanistan over the next two and a half years. The United Nations has
said the new interim government could fail if 100 million dollars in
aid is not provided within days to pay civil servants and police and
help impose law and fight banditry. Thirty more al Qaeda and Taliban
captives arrived under heavy guard at a U.S. naval base in Cuba
yesterday to join a first group of prisoners who settled into a
routine in cage-like cells awaiting interrogation and possible trial.
There was no let-up in the hunt for al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden
and Taliban chief Mullah Mohammad Omar. On the 100th day of the
bombing campaign , U.S. aircraft levelled buildings and blocked
entrances to dozens of caves in the Zhawar Kili area to destroy what
the U.S. military said was a base for fighters trying to flee to
Pakistan. U.S. officials said heavy raids on the Zhawar area were
concluding and the military would be looking for other targets and
acting to prevent al Qaeda and Taliban forces from regrouping or
operating.wants.
[07] Mideast wrap
An explosion that killed a Palestinian militant and a revenge attack
in which an Israeli soldier was shot dead left a month-old ceasefire
in tatters. Despite the new spasm of violence, the U.S. State
Department said Secretary of State Colin Powell had not decided when
to send envoy Anthony Zinni back to the region to resume mediation
between Israelis and Palestinians. Zinni went home on January 6th. The
Middle East slipped deeper into conflict after a leader of the Al-Aqsa
Martyrs Brigades, was killed yesterday by a bomb which Palestinian and
Israeli security sources said Israel planted. Hours after Raed Al
Karmi, blamed by Israel for the deaths of at least nine Israelis, was
blown up in the West Bank city of Tulkarm, gunmen killed an Israeli
soldier and wounded an officer near a Jewish settlement. The
Brigades, an unofficial armed group in Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction,
said it had avenged Karmi's killing.
[08] Quake indonesia
An earthquake measuring around 6.4 on the Richter scale today shook
Indonesia's capital Jakarta on Tuesday, prompting office workers
across the city to flee their swaying buildings. There were no
immediate reports of damage or casualties from the capital or in West
Java towns nearer the epicentre. The quake was felt for about a
minute in Jakarta. Earthquakes regularly hit Indonesia, occasionally
causing widespread damage, although they are rarely felt so strongly
in Jakarta. In 2000, a powerful quake measuring 7.9 on the Richter
scale hit Sumatra's Bengkulu province, killing more than 100 people.
[09] Sex tailer
Norwegians have the world's strongest yearning for sex in public
places. According to a survey in Germany by a publisher of romance
novels of 6,600 people from 20 countries found Norwegians were more
likely to have sex in public places than any other nationality. Sixty
six percent said they had had such sexual encounters. The places
where the sex took place included cars, trains, airplanes, beaches,
parks, changing rooms, offices and libraries. Australians came in
second with 64 percent, Greeks were third at 60 percent, Sweden and
Argentina were tied for fourth at 55 percent while Germany was fifth
with 47 percent. The survey by the Cora publishing house questioned
about 400 people in each country, At the bottom of the list was
France. Only 13 percent of the French surveyed said they had had sex
in public places, even fewer than the 15 percent of Canadians and 21
percent of Americans.
[10] Weather lunchtime
Rain is expected this afternoon, mainly on the mountains. Winds will
be moderate northeasterly to southeasterly, three to four beaufort,
over slight to moderate seas. Tonight it will be cloudy. Frost is
expected to form in some areas, particularly at dawn. Temperatures
will fall to 5 degrees inland, 8 on the coast and one below zero on the
mountains. The depth of snow on mount Olympus is one meter, with 70
centimetres in Troodos square.
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