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

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] Talks

[03] TC newspapers

[04] Fire

[05] Pelopidas

[06] Afghan

[07] Kuwait

[08] Science

[09] Weather FRIDAY 1 FEBRUARY 2002

[01] HEADLINES

--- The United States threatened to impose its own justice on countries it saw as backing terrorism.

--- Four people died in a huge blast at a key oil-producing area in the north of OPEC member Kuwait last night.

And

--- Using a special chemical trigger, scientists said they had tricked a monkey's egg cell into forming an early embryo without benefit of sperm.

[02] Talks

The talks start at five o'clock and are expected to wrap up constitutional matters.

Next week, the two leaders will exchange views on the territorial, property and security issues.

[03] TC newspapers

Kibris said the Turkish side was emphasising equality between the two sides.

The newspapers said Mr. Denktash seemed especially happy after his last meeting with President Clerides, but did not reveal the content of the talks.

[04] Fire

Nicosia Mayor Michalakis Zambelas visited the scene today and expressed regret that such buildings of traditional architecture were destroyed.

He also thanked the Fire Brigade and the Police for helping to extinguish the fire and said that the Municipality would be demolishing the next door building, which is considered to be dangerous.

[05] Pelopidas

CyBC's Limassol correspondent said the Police were looking into all possibilities, including that Pelopidas may have been in an accident, crossed over into the Turkish occupied areas, or been a victim of criminals.

Investigations are centred today near the Kourris dam, with the participation of policemen and a Police helicopter.

The United Nations have also been asked to help.

Charalambos Pelopidas has been missing from his home since Tuesday morning.

Police urge anyone who has any information to contact the nearest Police station.

[06] Afghan

The United States unveiled plans to spend billions more on arms as the leader of war-battered Afghanistan's interim government appealed to the world community to expand an international security force in his volatile land.

U.S. President George W. Bush, who has made the war on terrorism the main theme of his presidency since the September 11 attacks that killed about 3.100 people, issued a warning to countries developing weapons of mass destruction.

He said in a speech that "if you're one of these nations that developed weapons of mass destruction and you're likely to team up with a terrorist group or you're now sponsoring terror, and you don't hold the values that we hold dear true to your heart, then you too are on our watch list.

Bush said there was no middle ground in a campaign that has focused until now on Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network.

In Afghanistan, where the US military has all but destroyed the former hardline Islamic rulers who sheltered al Qaeda, a victorious Pashtun tribal force was consolidating its grip in a southeastern town after driving its rivals out.

The clashes in eastern Afghanistan and simmering tension in the west of the country gave added urgency to appeals by interim leader Hamid Karzai for an expanded international peacekeeping force.

[07] Kuwait

Firefighters were still battling the blaze this morning after an explosion rocked the Raudhatain oil field area the night before, setting ablaze about half of an oil gathering centre, a gas booster station and a power substation near the Iraqi border.

A senior official said it was an accident, a technical fault due to a leak, and that there were no suspicions of terrorism or sabotage.

State Kuwait Oil Co said in a statement that the known death toll rose to four this morning with the discovery a charred body, found inside a water tanker. Those killed were Asian contract workers and officials were not immediately able to give their nationalities.

The Kuwait Oil Co facility is one of the most important in the north, but officials said Kuwait could compensate for the lost supply from other fields.

Some 17 people suffered mainly minor injuries.

Short stories ] Osama bin Laden, accused mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, said in an interview two weeks after the United States started hunting for him in Afghanistan that "the battle has moved inside America".

The interview was shown by CNN but conducted on Oct. 21 by the Arabic-language Al-Jazeera network, which said it decided not to show it because it was not newsworthy. CNN obtained the videotape and aired it despite protests from Al-Jazeera.

- - - -

Pakistani police said they were no closer to finding kidnapped US reporter Daniel Pearl whose captors have threatened to kill him unless the United States releases Pakistani prisoners from the Afghan war.

- - - -

Australia's plan to pay Afghan asylum seekers to return home following the fall of the Taliban received a cool reception with few of the 4.000 in Australia's care willing to go back to their war-torn homeland.

The plight of Afghan asylum seekers in Australia has been thrust into the spotlight by a hunger strike at the outback Woomera camp by over 200 detainees.

- - - -

Indian and Pakistani troops traded heavy fire across their border in disputed Kashmir as at least seven people died in separate incidents in the troubled region.

- - - -

North Korea has joined Iraq and Iran in condemning US President George Bush's State of the Union address in which he labelled the three nations as an "axis of evil".

- - - -

Constant overnight rain triggered more flooding in Indonesia's capital Jakarta early, exacerbating hardship for hundreds of thousands of residents already forced to flee their homes.

- - - -

The Philippine military said it was doubling security measures to protect Americans operating on its soil following news that a transport plane carrying US troops was hit by small fire arms.

- - - -

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said in an interview that he had no intention of harming Yasser Arafat but warned the Palestinian leader not to allow missiles to be fired at Israeli cities.

- - - -

Aid workers appealed for help to deal with the aftermath of a Nigerian ammunition dump blast that left 600 dead and many more homeless, most of them soldiers whose anger is at boiling point in the coup-prone country.

[08] Science

The tiny monkey embryo yielded stem cells, the master cells that scientists believe will one day be a source of tissues, organs and other treatments for conditions ranging from diabetes to a broken neck.

The study suggests an alternative to human therapeutic cloning, the researchers wrote in their paper, published in today's issue of the journal Science.

The process, known as parthenogenesis, is not known to lead to the development of a fetus in mammals. But the resulting blastocyst can be mined for embryonic stem cells.

Stem cells are considered a rich potential source of medical treatments. They are found in adult tissues, but the most flexible stem cells come from the earliest embryos, called blastocysts, which are basically a ball of cells.

Scientists who have worked with those blastocysts usually get them from the leftovers after a couple have attempted to have a test-tube baby, a process known as in vitro fertilization. Extra fertilized eggs are usually disposed of, but can be a source of stem cells.

The other method employs cloning technology known as nuclear transfer to make a blastocyst using a patient's own cells. No one has reported success with that method yet, and both sources are controversial because some people consider the blastocyst a human being.

[09] Weather

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

Tonight will be generally clear, with humidity and fine mist in some areas.

Winds will be northwesterly to northeasterly, light, two to three beaufort, over calm to slight seas.

Temperatures will drop to 6 degrees inland and over the mountains, and to 8 along the coast.

The snow on Mount Olympus is 25 centimetres deep and in Troodos Square 10.

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