Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English, 04-10-20

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

CONTENTS

[01] HEADLINES

[02] TALAT STATEMENTS

[03] UN DELIBERATIONS

[04] IACOVOU EGYPT

[05] ANASTASIADES CSE

[06] IRAN MISSILE

[07] IRAQ

[08] QUAKE CHINA

[09] CRIME JAPAN

[10] WEATHER WEDNESDAY 20 OCTOBER 2004

[01] HEADLINES

--Egyptian officials have assured Cyprus' Foreign Minister George Iacovou of their country's constant support towards Cyprus.

--Iran said it test fired today a more accurate version of its Shahab-3 missile, already believed capable of hitting Israel and U.S. bases in the Gulf.

And

--The kidnapping of a British-Iraqi aid official might prompt her agency, Care International, to withdraw from Iraq, its director said today.

[02] TALAT STATEMENTS

Mr. Talat, leader of the main Republican Turkish Party, speaking at a press conference today with Serdar Denktash, leader of the Democratic Party and coalition partner, said he handed his resignation to Rauf Denktash this morning at occupied Kyrenia.

He also said that despite efforts, they did not manage to secure a majority in the so called parliament on the party's proposal for early "elections".

Mr. Talat said important times are ahead for Cyprus and that he will work until a new illegal government is formed.

Mr. Denktash said the so called RTP and DP coalition government had worked in harmony because they respected the differences between the two parties.

[03] UN DELIBERATIONS

The resolution is expected to be approved by October 28.

[04] IACOVOU EGYPT

Mr. Iacovou had meetings yesterday in Cairo with Egypt's Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif and with his Egyptian counterpart Ahmet Abul Gheit, at the invitation of whom he is visiting Egypt.

Mr. Iacovou and Mr. Gheit signed an Agreement between Cyprus and Egypt for the abolishment of visas for the holders of diplomatic, official and special passports.

Today the Foreign Minister will be received by Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak to whom he will convey a written message from Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos.

[05] ANASTASIADES CSE

Mr. Chrysostomou told CyBC that the DISY leader contacted him yesterday by phone, asking to be informed on the issue. However, Mr. Chrysostomou said he is not aware of the politician's name and rejected criticism that he is trying to mar any politician's reputation.

[06] IRAN MISSILE

Iran has previously announced that it has increased the missile's range to 2,000 km, an upgrade from a range pencilled in at 1,300 km by military experts.

Shahab is the Persian word for meteor. Based on the North Korean Nodong-1 and modified with Russian technology, the Shahab-3 was first deployed to Iran's Revolutionary Guard in July 2003.

Iran insists its missiles are for defensive purposes and would be used to counter an Israeli or U.S attack against its nuclear facilities.

[07] IRAQ

The head of the agency's operations in Iraq, Margaret Hassan, was abducted in Baghdad yesterday and she was later shown sitting anxiously alone in a video from her unknown captors broadcast by an Arabic television station.

"At the moment we have suspended operations, and we will continue to pull out of the country unless we can resolve this issue," Care International chief Geoffrey Dennis told the BBC in London.

Ms. Hassan, who has lived in Iraq for 30 years, was abducted two weeks after guerrillas beheaded British engineer Kenneth Bigley as part of a campaign of kidnappings and bombings that has kept the country in chaos since last year's U.S.-led invasion.

She is believed to be the eighth foreign woman to be abducted. All the others have been released unharmed.

Most international aid agencies withdrew their foreign staff after two Italian women aid workers were kidnapped in Baghdad last month and held for three weeks.

An Iraqi man working as a building contractor for U.S. forces in Baquba, 65 km north of Baghdad, was shot dead by gunmen who burst into his home last night.

Today, an Arabic Web site threatened to burn and demolish Seoul unless South Korea withdraws 2,800 troops -- the third-largest coalition contingent in Iraq.

There was no major violence reported overnight, but a 15-year-old boy was killed by crossfire in a gunbattle between U.S. troops and insurgents in Baquba.

[08] QUAKE CHINA

Twelve people were injured, one critically, in the tremor early yesterday morning, Xinhua news agency said, adding that tents had been provided for the homeless.

The earthquake, measuring 5.0 on the Richter scale, rocked Baoshan in Yunnan province, with the epicentre about 10 km from the city centre.

Earthquakes are common in China. In December, a tremor measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale struck the remote northwestern region of Xinjiang. At least 10 people, mostly herdsmen, were killed and 700 mud and brick houses destroyed.

[09] CRIME JAPAN

Police believe the disorder, known as withdrawal, was one of the factors behind the crime.

The 36-year-old man, a high-school drop-out and unemployed, turned himself in to local police in the western city of Osaka yesterday after strangling his ageing parents with a necktie a day earlier out of what he said was despair for their future.

The incident has grabbed headlines in major Japanese newspapers as it reflects the growing problem among tens of thousands of Japanese, particularly the young, who withdraw from society.

[10] WEATHER

Tonight it will be mainly clear but locally there will be thin mist and low cloud. Winds will be north-westerly to north-easterly light, two to three beaufort and the sea calm to slight. Temperatures will fall to 15 C inland and on the west coast, to 16 C on the south and east and 13 over the mountains. The fire hazard is extremely high in all forest areas.

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