News 89. Police in Moscow havearrested a man who created an investmentscheme which defrauded millions of Russians intheearly1990’s

Police in Moscow havearrested a man who created an investmentscheme which defrauded millions of Russians intheearly1990’s. The man Sergey Mavrodi, who launched the MMM Investment Fund, hasbeenontherun since 1998. He used television advertisingtopersuade millions of Russians to putwhateversumstheycould in his MMM scheme, which collapsed in 1994. Analysts said it was a classicpyramidscheme in which no moneywasactuallyinvested and old customers were paidoffwith new buyers’ money.

(BBC February, 2003)

News 90

Three separateinquiresareopening in the United States intothelossofthespaceshuttle Columbia which disintegrated on Saturday killing its crewofseven. The US government isforming an independent commission. The American SpaceAgency NASA and the US Congress willalsoconductinquires. Police and NASA staff are searching for debris across three American States including Texas above which Columbia fellapart. From there D.W. reports.

Local officials received more than a thousand calls withinafewhours. Hundredsofpiecesofdebris have beenrecovered including three large panelsonethesizeofacardoor. It'sreported that officials havealsorecovered an astronaut’shelmet and several bodyparts. The debris is beinglogged and marked with satellitecheckingdevices. Flowershavebeinglaidalongside some of the wreckageturning the area intoamakeshiftmemorial.

(BBC February, 2003)

News 91

NASA said the first indicationoftrouble was in the shuttle’sleftwing, which hadbeenhitbydebris on lift - off. NASA said it wassuspendingshuttlemissions until itunderstood the rudecause of the disaster. The Russian spaceauthoritieshaveoffered help into the investigation of the Columbia disaster. They also said that the launch of a Russian cargorocket to the international space station would goahead today asplanned.

With America inmourning, countries around the world havebeensending their condolences. Our Washington correspondent J.W. has more details.

The President hastakentelephonecalls from awiderange of world leaders including the British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and the French President Jacques Chirac, and Russia’s Vladimir Putin. The initialsense of shock in America hasbeenfollowed by intensespeculations about what wentwrong. Speculationscentre at the moment on a piece of an isolatingfoam that wasseentohit Columbia’s left wing shortlyafter the launch in January. The foamhadcomeawayfrom the orbited externalfueltank. Some reports suggest that sensors on the left wing were thefirsttoregister a problem during there - entry.

(BBC February, 2003)

News 92

Iraq says it willgiveadetailedresponse later today to the challengemadeat the United Nations by the American Secretary of State Colin Powell. Mr. Powell said Iraq wasstilldefyingdemandstodisarm and produced a dossier of intelligenceinformation to back his case including satellitephotographs and phoneintercepts. The initial Iraqi reaction was dismissive. In Baghdad a spokesmanfor President Saddam Hussein general A.H. said the speechshouldbemainly for theuninformed in order to justifycommitting an aggression on Iraq. Iraqi UN ambassador M Al D. said the American goalwastosell the idea of war withoutanymoral or legaljustification. Elsewhere there’sbeen a mixed reaction to the American stand. Britain gave strong backing but other members of the Security Council said the inspectors shouldbegiven more time. Syria questionedwhyIraqwasbeingthreatened when itnolongeroccupiedanyoneelse’s territory.

(BBC February, 2003)

News 93

Some European alliesincluding Germany and France haveexpressedconcernabout the prospects of a new war. Meanwhile US militaryofficialshaveannounced yet another leafletdropover southern Iraq. They say closetohalfamillionleafletsweredropped this time including somecallingon Iraqi civilians toavoid areas wheretroopscongregate. The leaflets also stresscoalitionforces have nodesires to harm the Iraqi people or todestroy their landmarks.

(VOA February, 2003)

News 94

TheWhiteHouse says it ispreparedfor any contingency in the stand - off with North Korea over the country’s nuclear weapons program. S.S. reports that the statementfollows North Korea’saccusation that theBush administration ispreparing a surpriseattack.

Mr. Fleischer says Washington and those alliesview North Korea’s actions asasetbackto peaceful dialog.

North Korean officials say they’llretaliateagainst any attacks on its nuclearfacilities. The warning comes adayaftertheNorth announced it hasrestarted the nuclear power plant that the Bush administration believescouldbeused to help build nuclear weapons. Mr. Fleischer says North Korea’s actions furtherisolate its people fromthemodernworld and leadto a situationwhere people arestarved and deniedbasichumanrights.

North Korea haswarned that itisentitledtolaunch a pre - emptivestrikeagainst the United States if US forces in thePacificarestrengthened. The Bush administration says it’scontinuingtopursuediplomacy in the matter.

(VOA February, 2003)

News 95

In Africa 30 million people areatriskofstarvation or arefacingsevere food shortages. The crisis in Zimbabwe isofparticular concern. 7.2 million Zimbabweans, overhalfthe population, face serious food shortages and therisk of starvation. Althoughworsened by poor rainfall, Zimbabwe’s crisis arises from the policies and actions of the government of Zimbabwe. Political oppression and economic mismanagement have decimated agricultural production and ruined Zimbabwe’s economy. Inthefaceof great human suffering, Zimbabwean officials often manipulateavailability of scarce government foodstock for political gains and personal ends. Other African nations facing serious food shortages include Malawi, Zambia, Lesotho, Mozambique, and Swaziland. Ethiopiahasover 14 million people atrisk. A long - time hunger filledbywar continues in Angola and Sudan.

The United States is the world’s largest donor of foodrelief, making over 60% of the contributions to the United Nations World Food Programs’ emergencyoperations. The US madeover 40% of the contributions to the programs Emergency Appeal for Africa intheyear2002. President George W. Bush hasproposedspending more that one billion dollars inthenext year to meet emergency food needsworldwide. Mr. Bush hasalsoproposed a 200 - milliondollarfaminefund to bring immediate assistance to regions facing starvation.

Money from the fund wouldbeavailable to purchase food supplies or to supportfoodproduction. Inthewordsof President Bush, we will encourage friends around the world to setupsimilar funds and leverage our combined resources to provide the most help to faminestrickenlands. Thanksto the United States and other nations, a severe hunger crisis in Africa wasrecentlyaverted. But Africa’surgentneedfor food assistance will continue. As President Bush said, “ Toallourefforts to fight diseases and hunger wecanspare people in many nations fromuntoldsuffering. Millions are facing rare infliction. But withourhelp they will not faceitalone. ”

(VOA February, 2003)

News 96

United Nations SecretaryGeneral Kofi Annan iswarning the United States againstmakingwar against Baghdad onitsownarguingcollective action under UN umbrella would have greaterlegitimacy and betteroddsofsuccess.

In an address marking the 310^th anniversary of William and Mary College in the US StateofVirginia Mr. Annan alsostressed that force against theIraqi should beused only asalastresort.

(VOA February, 2003)

News 97

Saturday in Rome PopeJohnPaul said effortsmustbeintensified to avert war in Iraq. His callforpeace was thelatestinaseries made by thePope, who has said inthepast that war isalwaysadefeat for humanity. S.C.F. has the story.

The Pope said tensions and whimsofwarexist at present and that humanity isbeingtempted by hatred and violence. He added that the world mustmakeeveryeffort to avoid a war. He stressed that humanity mustnotresignitselftotheinevitability of war. He calledoneveryoneto take the path that leads to peace, dialog and hope. The Pope’s wordscameinanaddressto a peace group, the Roman Catholiccommunity of Santa J, knownfor its efforts to broker peace in African nations.

(VOA February, 2003)

News 98

And nowto New York, where the city is onheightenedalertto possible terrorist attacks, correspondent J.B. iscoveringefforts there tomakepublicplacessafe.

New York City hasbeenon a high levelofalert since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. But nowthat Washington hasraised the national warninglevel to highalert, police in New York City areincreasing their presenceatlandmarks: bridges and tunnels, the subway and other highly - populated areas. New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg told reporters that whiletherehasbeen no specificthreat, the deadlyattackon the World Trade Center proves that New York City is a potentialtarget.

As we learned so tragically on September, 11, New York’s roleascapital of the world and its symbolicvalueas the center of American businesswill always makeit a target for those whowanttodestroy our wayoflife. My message today to the people of the city of New York is simple: go about your livesas you normallywould, and we willdo everything inourpower to protect you. Leave the worrying to the professionals and liveyourlives, otherwise the terrorists will winwithoutdoinganything.

(VOA February, 2003)

News 99

ThePresident of Iran Mohammad Khatami hasannounced the discovery of deposits of uranium in the country for the first time. He says it’s plannedtoprocess and use it tofuel Iran’s nuclearpowerprogramme. Speaking on state television, President Khatami said uraniumhadbeen successfully extracted from two sites, and Iran wasnowready to produce nuclear energy withoutoutsidehelp.

(BBC February, 2003)

News 100

A court in southern China hassentenced the United States- baseddissident Wang Bingzhang tolifeimprisonment after finding him guiltyofspyingfor Taiwan and leading a terrorist group. The sentence, one of the toughestmade to any dissident in recent years, is the culmination of amostbizarrecase. From Shanghai F.M. reports.

Wang, he is 55, wasconvictedofspyingfor Taiwan since the1980’s and organizing and leading a terrorist group. China says he and two other dissidentswererescued by Chinese police fromkidnappers, who hadleft them tiedup in a temple in G. provincebordering Viet-Nam. But fellowpro - democracy activists, who’vedismissed the sentence as unjust and shameful, say itwas Chinese securityagentsthemselveswhoabducted them in Viet-Nam, where he’dgone to tryandmeet Chinese labour activists. Mr. Wang’s convictioncomesatatime when the Chinese government isincreasinglyworriedabout the potentialforlabour unrest as it faces the difficult taskofreforming the country’s lumbering state industry.

(BBC February, 2003)

News 101

A teamofscientists has publishedresearch in progress on ways to prevent the spread of HIV/Aids without the useofcondoms. Our science correspondent A.L. has more details.

With an effective HIV vaccinestill many yearsaway, scientists aretrying to develop effectivetreatment to prevent the spread of the virus, particularly amongst women. Microbicide, which should be developed into gels, foamsponges or pessaries could be used by women before sexualintercourse, so avoiding the stigma which is often attachedtousingcondoms. They work to stop the virus from getting near the vulnerablecells it infects and increasing body's defences. A team of scientists from the US and UK applied a microbicidegel which contained a human antibody in the uterus of macaque monkeys. The gel protected the macaques from infection with simian HIV for more than seven hours.

(BBC February, 2003)

News 102

The authorities in Congo (Brazzaville) say they suspect the Ebolavirusmayhavecaused the death of atleast 38 people in the north of the country. Congolese authorities say they areconcerned that the virus, which hasalreadybeen detected in gorillas in the region, couldspread. Littleisknown about Ebola, which causes its victims to die from internalbleeding.

(BBC February, 2003)

News 103

The President of Paraguayhassurvived an impeachmentvote in the country’sSenate after his opponentsfailed to gather the 2/3 majority needed to oust him fromoffice. The President Luis Gonzalez Macchi hadbeenaccused of misusing about 60 million dollars instatefunds. He wasalsoaccusedofemploying a friend to carryout work for the ParaguayanTelephoneCompany. Mr. Gonzalez Macchi hadrepeatedlydenied any wrongdoing.

(BBC February, 2003)

News 104

Dolly thesheep, the first animalintheworld to becloned from an adultcell has died.

The statement from the Scottish researchinstitute which created her 6 years ago said she wasputdown after a veterinaryexaminationshowed that she hadaprogressivelungdisease.

Dolly’s birthhaspavedtheway for the creation of hundreds of clonedsheep, cattle, pigs, goats, and onecat. And cloningtechniques are now beingused to studyageing in humans and howtocombatcancer, heartdisease, and many braindisorders.

(BBC February, 2003)

News 105

Police investigating the fire which killedmorethen 130 people on a SouthKoreanundergroundrailway say atleast 6 staffmembers will be chargedwithnegligenthomicide. They say prosecutors will probablyissuearrestwarrants next week following the fire last Tuesday at the station in the city of Daegu.

Aseventh man with a history of mentalillnesshas already beendetained for allegedlystarting the fire.

(BBC February, 2003)

News 106

A court in Moroccohasjailed 3 Saudinationals for 10 years after convicting them oftakingpart in an Al-Qaeda sabotageplot against Western targets. Thethree were arrested last May and accused of planning to sail a boatloadedwith the explosives from Morocco into the StraitofGibraltar to blowup American and British warships. TheSaudisadmitted that they’dbeen to Afghanistan but they denied any plot.

(BBC February, 2003)

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