Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English, 03-07-28

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

CONTENTS

[01] HEADLINES

[02] FRANCE MINISTER

[03] UNIVERSITIES EXAMS

[04] IRAQ ATTACK

[05] PHILIPPINES

[06] SHARON MIDEAST

[07] ITALY

[08] MILOSEVIC

[09] WEATHER MONDAY 28/07/2003

[01] HEADLINES

--Education and Culture Minister Pefkios Georgiades will announce tomorrow the results of the examinations for higher institutes and universities in Cyprus and Greece.

-- A U.S. patrol was attacked with a grenade in broad daylight in central Baghdad today, and two soldiers were badly wounded and possibly killed.

And,

--The Philippine government will set up an independent commission to investigate the roots of a weekend mutiny by a group of renegade soldiers.

[02] FRANCE MINISTER

In statements, Ms. Lenoir described the UN Secretary-General's initiative positive and expressed her optimism that there will be a positive handling of the Cyprus issue with all interested parties.

She also described positive the steps which the Cyprus government is taking concerning ilegal immigrants, for the protection of the Mediterranean region.

Ms. Lenoir was also received by President Tassos Papadopoulos.

[03] UNIVERSITIES EXAMS

The results will be announced in a press conference tomorrow by the minister. Candidates will be able to access the results online at www.moec.gov.cy and through the Cybee service of Cyta.

A total of seven thousand seven hundred and seventeen candidates are competing for the five thousand nine hundred and seven openings.

[04] IRAQ ATTACK

A U.S. officer at the scene told Reuters that two of his men had been badly wounded in the attack but declined to say whether they had died. Iraqi police said the two were dead.

A military spokesman had no official comment.

Local witnesses said the grenade was dropped on the vehicle from a bridge at a major intersection. The incident highlighted how easy it is for guerrillas to attack U.S. troops.

Since May 1, when Washington declared major combat over in Iraq, 49 U.S. soldiers have been confirmed killed in guerrilla attacks. In the past 10 days, the U.S. military has confirmed the deaths of 16 soldiers in hostile action, making it the bloodiest period for U.S. forces since Saddam Hussein was toppled in April.

[05] PHILIPPINES

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo also ordered an independent investigation into a bombing in the Muslim south of the predominantly Christian Southeast Asian nation, an attack the soldiers accused the government of rigging to ensure the support of the United States.

Ms. Arroyo said in a state of the nation address that the weekend mutiny was unfortunate and ill-conceived and carried out by misguided officers.

"Such actions are deplorable and will be met with the full force of the law, including the political component," she added, in the address, which was broadcast live on national television.

She also said that peace talks between the Philippine government and the country's biggest Muslim rebel group will be held in Malaysia next week.

Almost 300 soldiers took part in the mutiny, demanding the resignation of President Arroyo and other senior officials for what they said was pervasive corruption, collusion with Muslim rebels and planning to impose martial law to avoid a 2004 presidential election.

They surrendered without firing a shot late last night.

Earlier today, police arrested an aide of former president Joseph Estrada after they found the red armbands used by the renegades, arms and ammunition in a raid on his home. They said the role of a senator in the mutiny was also being investigated.

[06] SHARON MIDEAST

Mr. Sharon, who arrived in the United States late on Sunday and who will meet President George W. Bush at the White House to discuss the U.S.-backed peace "road map" for Israel and the Palestinians, says the fence is intended to keep Palestinian suicide bombers out of the Jewish state's cities.

Palestinians fear the fence, due to cut deep into West Bank territory, is intended to unilaterally set the borders of their envisaged state by ensuring large tracts of West Bank land are on the Israeli side of the barrier.

Mr. Bush expressed concern over the fence, which he called "a problem," after talks with Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas at the White House on Friday.

It is Mr. Sharon's eighth trip to the White House, but this time he will have a hard act to follow in the wake of Mr. Abbas's landmark visit which cemented his standing in Washington as a moderate intent on ending three years of violence with Israel.

[07] ITALY

A centrist coalition party has warned that it will quit the administration unless Justice Minister Roberto Castelli reverses his decision to invoke the controversial law and block an investigation into Mr. Berlusconi's business dealings.

Although few politicians believe the government will fall over the issue, a weekend of telephone diplomacy failed to break the deadlock and time is running out for a compromise deal.

Even if a solution is found, the argument has exposed deep divisions at the heart of Mr. Berlusconi's two-year old government and could distract the prime minister as he leads Italy's presidency of the European Union over the coming five months.

The controversy flared last week when magistrates complained that Mr. Castelli had used the immunity law to stop them obtaining documents that they want as part of a probe into alleged tax fraud at Berlusconi's media company.

[08] MILOSEVIC

Presiding judge Richard May also said that doctors would submit a medical report later.

Mr. Milosevic's landmark trial for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo has been repeatedly interrupted by the accused's bouts of ill health since it began in February 2002.

[09] WEATHER

Temperatures will reach 37 C inland, 34 degrees on the south and east coast, 30 C on the west and 29 over the mountains.

Tonight, the weather will be clear but winds will be westerly to north-westerly moderate, becoming light two to three beaufort.

The sea will be slight. Temperatures will reach 24 C inland 23 on the south and east coast, 22 over the west and 19 over the mountains.

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