Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English, 03-07-22

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

CONTENTS

[01] HEADLINES

[02] LIBERIA DEAD

[03] IRAQ BLAIR

[04] IRAQ PHONES

[05] CHINA QUAKE

[06] PHILIPPINES

[07] PERU CLIMBERS

[08] BRITAIN WOMAN

[09] DEFENCE DOCUMENTS

[10] PATAKI CYPRUS

[11] WEATHER TUESDAY 22/07/2003

[01] HEADLINES

--British Prime Minister Tony Blair's personal standing has been hammered by a political row over the Iraq war which led to the death of a government scientist, opinion polls showed today.

-- A moderate earthquake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale hit China's southwestern province of Yunnan overnight, killing 11 people and injuring more than 200.

and,

-- New York Governor, George Pataki, declared 20th July 2003 a Day of Justice for Cyprus for the State of New York during a ceremony in Manhattan.

[02] LIBERIA DEAD

Aid workers said they calculated about 100 civilians had been killed by the mortar bombs which rained down on various parts of the sprawling city as rebels fought to capture two key bridges in their battle against President Charles Taylor.

The dead were mostly among tens of thousands of people who had fled to the heart of Monrovia and the diplomatic quarter where they hoped they would be safe.

Dozens of mortar bombs slammed into Monrovia's diplomatic quarter on Monday. At least one hit the U.S. embassy as rebels thrust deep into the coastal capital for the third time in two months.

West African military chiefs meet later today in Senegal to discuss deploying international peacekeepers, as the mounting death toll increased pressure on neighbours and the United States to intervene.

The United States wants the Economic Community of West African States to take the lead in any mission to end 14 years of almost non-stop war in Liberia.

Washington has said it might send a small force after the departure of President Taylor, accused of fanning more than a decade of regional conflicts and wanted by an international war crimes court. Mr. Taylor has agreed to go once peacekeepers arrive.

[03] IRAQ BLAIR

Despite falling ratings and worried currency markets, Mr. Blair declared he had no regrets about joining Washington in the war to oust Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, saying in China: "It was the right thing to do."

An ICM poll in the Guardian newspaper showed public trust in Mr. Blair -- once one of the most popular prime ministers in British history -- slumped by 12 points in the past month to 39 percent.

It also showed Mr. Blair's personal approval rating had dropped to minus 17 -- down from plus seven on the so-called "Baghdad Bounce" in the immediate aftermath of the war.

A second poll by MORI for the Sun newspaper showed a quarter of all voters who backed Mr. Blair at the last election in 2001 have switched support to another political party.

That poll cited worries about Mr. Blair's ability to improve schools, hospitals and public transport. But the ICM poll, conducted in the immediate aftermath of the death of Iraq weapons scientist David Kelly last week, showed voters doubting Mr. Blair's trustworthiness and competence.

[04] IRAQ PHONES

Yet officially, a tender for three mobile phone licences the U.S.-led administration plans to offer across Iraq has yet to take place. A U.S. military spokesman could not immediately say why the phones were working or what that meant for the tender.

The service providers involved were unavailable for comment.

Callers with foreign registered GSM phones were able to make and receive calls and send text messages to countries as far away as the United States and South Africa. Few Iraqis have suitable phones for now. Foreigners working in Baghdad have widely relied on pricey satellite telephones to stay in touch.

[05] CHINA QUAKE

The tremor struck at 1516 GMT on Monday in Dayao county, an area populated by the Yi ethnic minority group. It seriously injured 23 people.

Seismological officials said frequent rain in the area over the past few days had made the houses more susceptible to the tremor.

In early July, a 6.1 magnitude quake rattled the mountainous Tibet region with no casualties.

[06] PHILIPPINES

Disaster officials said they had no immediate reports of casualties from the strongest typhoon to hit the country of 82 million people since 1998.

They said it was too early to assess damage to crops as Imbudo swept across the rice and corn-growing areas of Isabela and Cagayan provinces on the main island of Luzon.

Local radio said the strong winds had uprooted trees and toppled electricity posts in Isabela.

The weather bureau said Imbudo had intensified since Monday, with winds of 190 kph and gusts of 230 kph . The typhoon is expected to pound the Philippines before moving northwest towards Hong Kong on Thursday.

[07] PERU CLIMBERS

Officials said rescue teams braving high winds would try to reach the climbers at 9,030 ft above sea-level on Alpamayo mountain, 500 km northeast of Lima.

Mountain police said three expeditions of climbers were believed to have been affected by the accident -- or as many as 18 climbers aged between 25 and 45 years old.

Rescue helicopters were unable to reach the site because of strong winds, and search teams were expected to take 20 hours to reach the missing climbers on foot.

[08] BRITAIN WOMAN

Human submarine Tanya Streeter held her breath for three minutes and 38 seconds during her underwater odyssey, British newspapers reported today.

Ms. Streeter, 30, shattered the woman's free diving record of 311.7 feet in the category which requires the diver to swim back to the surface after riding to the depths on a weighted sled.

She also narrowly beat the men's record of 393.7 feet in her dive on Monday in the Turks and Caicos Islands off the coast of Florida.

The woman said she developed various exercises and techniques to allow her to survive at such deep levels -- expanding her rib cage to fill her lungs with extra air and exhaling heavily just before she descends in order to reduce the level of carbon dioxide in her body.

[09] DEFENCE DOCUMENTS

According to a Phileleftheros newspaper report, the documents were found in a public area in black bags.

Mr. Mavronicolas said the issue is very serious because it deals with the Republic's safety.

[10] PATAKI CYPRUS

The ceremony was attended by Archbishop of the Americas Demetrios, leading members of the greek american community and the General Consuls of Cyprus and Greece.

In his proclamation, the New York Government condemned the Turkish invasion and its tragic consequences, describing Cyprus as the last country in Europe under foreign occupation.

Addressing the Greek Americans, Mr. Patakis said there should be justice in Cyprus in order to allow people to return to their homes and not just pass from the green line.

[11] WEATHER

Tonight the weather will remain generally clear but thin mist and low cloud will form in some areas. Winds will be westerly to north-westerly light two to three beaufort and the sea slight. Temperatures will fall to 23 C iland and on the coasts and to 19 over the mountains.

The fire hazard remains extremely high in all forest areas.

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