Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English, 03-09-19

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

CONTENTS

[01] HEADLINES

[02] IRAQ

[03] SWEDEN PALMER

[04] MIDEAST

[05] ISABEL

[06] ELECTION OCCUPIED AREAS

[07] JOURNALISTS AWARDS

[08] PAPHOS VISA

[09] WEATHER FRIDAY 19/09/2003

[01] HEADLINES

-- World leaders gathered in Sweden today to honour the memory of Foreign Minister Anna Lindh, whose murder last week shocked the country and evoked memories of the 1986 shooting of Prime Minister Olof Palme.

-- The so called elections in the occupied north will take place on December 14.

aND,

-- A Greek Cypriot journalist and a Turkish Cypriot journalist were given the Cyprus Journalism Award ''A Broader View: Prize for Journalism Promoting Understanding Between Different Communities'', awarded by the European Journalism Centre.

[02] IRAQ

Dawood Bagistani, a local human rights official who acted as a go-between in talks with Ahmed, told a news conference the ex-minister surrendered at a house in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul and was being taken to Baghdad by U.S. forces.

Mr.Bagistani said Ahmed gave himself up after U.S. officials agreed in negotiations that he was innocent of "crimes". There was no immediate U.S. comment.

Ahmed was seen by Saddam's side in video footage, said to have been shot in Baghdad on April 9, of the Iraqi leader waving to cheering crowds in a northern suburb of the capital as the city was being overrun by U.S. forces.

Ahmed's surrender means 40 out of the 55 former top Iraqis wanted by Washington have now turned themselves in or have been arrested or killed.

[03] SWEDEN PALMER

Hundreds of police were on duty as the guests arrived in dark limousines and patrol boats guarded the waters outside Stockholm City Hall where the memorial service was scheduled to begin.

With police snipers on rooftops and helicopters hovering above, authorities said the security arrangements were the most extensive in Stockholm since Palme's funeral 17 years ago.

European Commission President Romano Prodi and foreign ministers from most European countries and several other nations around the world are among the approximately 1,200 guests due to attend the ceremony in the city hall's main chamber, which hosts the annual Nobel Prize gala dinner.

Lindh, 46 and a mother of two, was attacked by a knife-wielding man on September 10 while she was out shopping in downtown Stockholm without bodyguards. She died of her wounds the next day.

Police arrested a man suspected of the murder on Tuesday, and today the public prosecutor asked a court to remand him in custody.

[04] MIDEAST

The 191-nation assembly, where Washington has no veto, is due to meet in emergency session at 1500 GMT to weigh a resolution just like the one blocked by the United States on Tuesday.

A vote is expected by the end of the day and is likely to reveal deep divisions in the quartet of international mediators -- the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations -- responsible for the road map intended to guide Israelis and Palestinians to lasting peace.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas have resolved a dispute that led to an exchange of fire between Palestinian security forces and members of the militant group.

The shooting erupted in Gaza City after the arrest of seven Hamas members suspected of kidnapping a policeman. He was seized after police detained a senior member of the Islamic militant group.

Hospital officials said four people were wounded in the incident in which Hamas supporters also attacked police stations with stones and burned tyres in a Gaza City neighbourhood.

Under a deal to end the dispute, Hamas released the kidnapped policeman and another police officer it had detained on Wednesday, and the Palestinian Authority freed the seven Hamas members it arrested.

[05] ISABEL

Public transit officials were expected to announce early today when they would resume subway and bus services that were suspended for the first time ever in advance of the storm.

Isabel, which was downgraded from hurricane status as it pounded up the U.S. East Coast, passed through Washington in a much milder form than initially feared, but authorities were cautious about returning to normal operations.

It was windy and rainy for much of the day yesterday, but heavy rain and high winds did not kick up until early evening, when the National Weather Service recorded winds gusting to 84 kph at Washington Reagan National Airport.

The federal government's Washington-area offices shut down as the storm bore down on the nation's capital, and remained closed today.

The Metropolitan Area Transit Authority said it planned to conduct safety and security checks on its 103 miles (166 km) of rail lines before resuming service.

Most local schools remained closed today for a second day. Weather concerns also forced the three major Washington-area airports to shut down as airlines canceled thousands of flights.

Many people who got the day off from work found themselves at home in the dark. More than 700,000 Washington-area customers lost power as Isabel passed.

The U.S. capital region had prepared for far worse. The streets were virtually empty as people waited for the arrival of what had been expected to be a monster storm.

[06] ELECTION OCCUPIED AREAS

Leader of the Republican Turkish Party, Mehmet Ali Talat claimed the elections in the occipied areas are just as valid as those in the free areas. He also called on the greek Cypriot side to stop calling them illegal.

[07] JOURNALISTS AWARDS

An EJC press release said the prize went to T/C Hazan Kahvecioglou for his article ''To know Hanya and Konya in Crete'' published May 9, 2003 in the Turkish Cypriot daily "Ortam" and G/C Panayiotis Kaparis for his article ''Co-Tenants in the Same Hotel'', published May 11, 2003 in the Greek Cypriot daily "Politis".

[08] PAPHOS VISA

The suspects are from Georgia and the Ukraine, Paphos residents, who according to police, were mediating to complete the procedures to obtain the illegal permits.

Their arrest followed a long and combined operation between the Police headquarters and Paphos Police.

Investigations are also held overseas.

[09] WEATHER

Tonight the weather will remain clear. Winds will be north-westerly to north-easterly light, two to three beaufort and the sea calm to slight. Temperatures will fall to 18 C inland and on the west coast, 20 C on the south and 10 over the mountains.

The fire hazard is extremely high in all forest areas.

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