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===== AIM Evening NEWS for Wednesday, September 20, 2000 =====
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TRIAL CONTINUES
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BELGRADE, September 20, 2000 (I-NET)

In District Court in Belgrade today was continued main inquest
in trial against NATO leaders who are charged for several criminal
acts during last year's agression on FRY.


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BELGRADERS BELIEVE PRE-ELECTION OPINION POLLS AND NGOS
======================================================

BELGRADE, September 20, 2000 (FoNet)

The majority of adult Belgraders, according to the results of
the survey carried out by Beografiti agency and commissioned by FoNet
news agency, believe pre-election public opinion polls and the
activities of the nongovernmental organisations. The survey was
conducted on a sample of 500 adult citizens of Belgrade during a
period between September 11 and September 15. 75.54% of those
questioned believe or partially believe the agencies carrying out the
public opinion polls, while 24,46% doubt the veracity of those
surveys. Belgraders also for the most part believe nongovernmental
organisations, but they do not trust state institutions. Thus, 59.70%
believe Otpor, while 40.30% of those surveyed are suspicious of this
movement. 64.63% believe entirely or to a certain extent the expert
group G17, while 35.37% do not. The Centre for Free Elections and
Democracy (CeSID) enjoys trust of 58.64% of Belgraders; 41.35% of
those questioned have no confidence in CeSID. On the other hand, the
Federal Government has a low rating given that only 27.05% trust this
federal institution, while 72.95% claim that they do not believe the
government


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CESID CANNOT OBSERVE THE ELECTIONS
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BELGRADE, September 20, 2000 (FoNet)

Marko Blagojevic, spokesman for the Center for Free Elections
and Democracy (CeSID) stated today that the Federal Electoral
Committee (SIK) has informed CeSID that "the electoral law does not
anticipate the institution of the domestic observer". Blagojevic said
that CeSID had filed the request for permission to observe the
elections on September 14, and that SIK had made its decision six
days earlier, on September 8. CeSID received the SIK notice on
September 16.


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TWO FRENCH JOURNALISTS ESCAPED
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MANILA, Philippines, September 20, 2000 (Reuters)

Two French television journalists were flying home from the
Philippines on Wednesday after escaping from Muslim rebel captors
under cover of darkness and spending a nerve-wracking night hiding in
the jungles under pouring rain.

They were among 19 hostages held by the Abu Sayyaf rebels on the
southern island of Jolo and said they slipped away in the confusion
as the guerrillas fled under the onslaught of a military assault.
Local residents said they feared scores of civilians had been killed
in the relentless bombardment of rebel bases, which entered the fifth
day on Wednesday


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BARAK ACCUSES PALESTINIAN FOR DELAY
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JERUSALEM, Israel, September 20, 2000 (AFP)

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak accused Palestinian leader
Yasser Arafat of delaying the peace process, a day after Israel's
confusing stop-start announcements about their talks.

"The situation after Camp David is that we still don't have
Arafat's response regarding a willingness to discuss the ideas raised
by (US) President (Bill) Clinton, and this is delaying the process,"
Barak told reporters after a meeting of the parlimant's foreign
affairs and defence committee.


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CHINA WELCOMED US VOTE
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BEIJING, China, September 20, 2000 (Reuters)

China cheered on Wednesday the U.S. Senate's approval of a trade
deal as a potential new beginning for often tortured relations
between the world's last major Communist government and the foremost
capitalist superpower. "We hope the passage of the bill can become a
new starting point and a chance to start anew," Foreign Ministry
spokesman Sun Yuxi told reporters after the U.S. Senate approved
permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) for China. Sun called the
overwhelming 83-15 Senate vote for PNTR on Tuesday "conducive to
creating a long-term and stable environment for Sino-U.S. economic
and trade cooperation".


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EMBATTLED MYANMAR FIGURE SUU KYI TO PROBE RESTRICTIONS
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YANGON, Myanmar, September 20, 2000 (The Associated Press)

Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi will travel to northern
Myanmar on Thursday to investigate government restrictions on her
National League for Democracy party, a party statement said
Wednesday. She will be accompanied by NLD vice chairman Tin Oo, the
brief statement said.

The announcement raised the prospect of another confrontation
between Suu Kyi and Myanmar's military junta, which rules the country
with an iron fist, giving little political freedom to opposition
groups. "NLD vice chairman Tin Oo and general secretary Aung San Suu
Kyi will travel to upper Myanmar on Sept. 21 to inquire about the
restrictions imposed by authorities on NLD activities by closing down
NLD branches and bringing down NLD signboards," the party statement
said.


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CUBAN PLANE CRASHES IN GULF OF MEXICO
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KEY WEST, US, September 20, 2000 (the Associated Press)

A small Cuban plane crashed into the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday,
killing one of the 10 people aboard and leaving the rest clinging to
debris before they were rescued by a cargo ship. Air traffic control
in Havana said the aircraft reported a possible hijacking before the
crash, but U.S. authorities offered no immediate explanation before
interviewing the survivors, a meeting expected early Wednesday.

In Cuba, in-laws of the man believed to be the pilot said he
apparently left an airstrip at Los Palacios, west of Havana, and
picked up his wife and two sons at an airport in Pinar del Rio before
flying out over the open ocean. It was unknown whether the
single-engine plane ran out of gas. Konstantinos Kalaitgis, captain
of the Panamanian freighter Chios Dream, which rescued the survivors,
said the plane circled his ship several times and dropped a box into
the sea. The plane crashed nearby and the survivors scrambled out.
The crash site is about 80 kilometres west of Cuba or about 240
kilometres east of Mexico's Yucatan peninsula. It was 460 kilometres
from Key West.

Of the survivors - three men, three women and three children - a
36-year-old man had serious head and neck injuries. He was picked up
by a Coast Guard helicopter late Tuesday and flown to a Florida for
treatment.


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INDIAN FLOODS KILL 15, MAROON THOUSANDS
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CALCUTTA, India, September 20, 2000 (CBC)

Heavy rains in eastern India have caused flooding that killed at
least 15 people, officials in West Bengal said Wednesday. Five more
people are missing and thousands are stranded after the third day of
rain.

The torrential downpours had overflowed reservoirs and forced
the opening of two dams, an operation that released about 228,300
cubic feet of water per second on Monday. The burst of water
completely submerged large areas of land and cut transportation and
communication links.


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YOU MAY BE ALLERGIC TO YOUR COMPUTER
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STOCKHOLM, Sweden, September 20, 2000 (CBC)

Swedish scientists say the chemical used to make computer
screens give off emissions may affect your health. The study says the
chemical, triphenyl phosphate, often used as a flame retardant in the
plastic of video monitors, causes allergic reactions in some people,
from itching and nasal congestion to headaches.

Conny Ostman of Stockholm University, one of the authors of the
study, says monitors emit chemical when their temperature rises
during normal operations. Ostman says they don't know how much of the
triphenyl phosphate it takes to cause a reaction but they say
computers emit less of the compound the older they get. The study
measured the air in front of computer screens for the compound as
well as the temperature of the screen and other parts of the
computer. The scientists found traces of the compound in 10 of the 18
new monitors they tested. Ostman says it doesn't matter what company
made the monitor because nearly all manufacturers use triphenyl
phosphate. But he did say the presence of the compound was linked to
the place where the monitors were made.


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ATLANTIS RETURNS HOME
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US, September 20, 2000 (BBC)

The space shuttle Atlantis has returned to Earth after a
successful mission to fit out the International Space Station (ISS).
The five Americans and two Russians touched down at the Kennedy Space
Center in Florida at 0356 local time (0756GMT) on Wednesday. It was
only the 15th night-time landing in space shuttle history.

Five days of the 12-day flight were spent inside the ISS, which
is orbiting about 390 kilometres (240 miles) above the planet. The
astronauts and cosmonauts installed equipment and loaded supplies
that will be needed by the station's first permanent residents who
are due to arrive at the beginning of November. Commander Terrence
Wilcutt inspected the shuttle and said: "We had a great time. We're
all glad to be back."


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TOMATOES MAY BE KEY IN FIGHTING CANCER AND HEART DISEASE
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TORONTO, Canada, September 20, 2000 (CBC)

Two Canadian researchers says the pigment that gives tomatos
their red colour may help protect people from several big killers,
including cancer and heart disease. The pigment, called lycopene, is
one of the most potent anti-oxidants known. Cell damage caused by
oxidation is believed to be an important part of the processes that
lead to several chronic diseases. Sanjiv Agarwal and Akkinappally
Venketeshwer Rao, of the University of Toronto's department of
nutritional science, reviewed existing literature regarding lycopene
and found it's involved in other protective mechanisms. They say the
pigment may have a role in regulating some gene functions, and
hormone and immune responses. It may also regulate metabolism,
lowering the risk of chronic disease. Agarwal and Rao say they found
a total of 35 large studies that provide evidence showing that eating
tomatos reduces the risk of cancer. Despite the evidence, the
scientists say they still don't know what lycopene does to make
cancer rates go down. Products that contains high levels of the
pigment include paste, tomato sauce, spaghetti sauce, chili sauce,
pizza and tomato soup.


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THE NEWS
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Evening News edited by Jasmina Vermezovic

AIM, Belgrade, September 20, 2000 16:30


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