Cable Items In Brief

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31871, 26 December 1968, Page 9

Cable Items In Brief

Bank Robbed , Three armed men escaped I with an estimated 550,000 francs (about SNZ9B.OOO) in 'a bank robbery in Lyons, France, last night. The men broke into the bank, in the centre of the city, about 9 p.m. as crowds of people poured into Lyons to celebrate Christmas with the traditional “reveillon,” an allnight party. They got away in a van before the alarm could be given.—Lyons, December 25. Bounds Broken An East German youth who wanted to spend Christmas with an aunt in West Germany, shipped himself safely across the border in a large upholstered box. Unsuspecting colleagues in a factory ; where he worked in Leipzig ■ nailed the box shut and put it aboard a truck bound for , Bavaria. He is reported to , have been discovered there by a businessman’s wife who j heard him breaking his way , out of the box with a ham-, mer.—Bonn, December 25. Journalist Dead Mr Alfred Kluehs, Reuters’ ! chief correspondent in West' Berlin for 17 years, died on Christmas Eve at the age of 48. He is survived by his wife and two daughters.— West Berlin, December 25. Welfare Grants The Ford Foundation has , announced 10 grants totalling i SUSB3O.OOO to be used for a I series of studies and pilot i projects on welfare reform, i The largest single grant, I SUS3OO,OOO, goes to the | National Assembly for Social i

Policy and Development for the establishment of a Washington office. The University i of -California, at Berkeley, is granted $U525,000 for research on welfare programmes in Europe, Australia and New Zealand.—New York, December 25. Celebration The founder of the Commonwealth Press Union, Sir Harry Brittain, journalist, lawyer, author and a former member of Parliament, celebrated his ninety-fifth birthday today.—London, Deceini ber 25. Sir ban's Defence Evidence against Sirhan Bishara Sirhan, including a copy of his diary and notebooks, will be examined by lawyers defending him against a charge of killing Senator Robert Kennedy. A Superior Court judge in Los Angeles, acting on a supplemental motion for discovery made by Sirhan’s chief attorney (Mr Grant Copper), has also ordered that statements by witnesses to the police and the F. 8.1. and the results of a blood test taken shortly after Sirhan was arrested should be shown to the defence.—Los Angeles, December 25. Aid To Euratom The United States Atomic Energy Commission will ensure until 1974 the supply of natural uranium for European reactors under a new SUSI 10m agreement, the European Community Commission said in Brussels yesterday. Under the agreement, between the commission and the supply agency of Euratom, the nuclear energy

r i “club” of six nations, the i- commission will enrich uray nium for use as nuclear fuel sin the reactors of power plants at Orbigheim, Gun- )- dremmingen Kahl and Niei- deraichbach, in West Gerv many, and at Dodewaard, in the Netherlands.—Brussels, ’ December 25. i_ Concorde Tests r The first model of the Brill tish-French supersonic air- ‘ liner, the Concorde, was '■ taken out of the production '■ hangar of the Sud-Aviation '■ Corporation in Toulouse yesterday and towed to the nearby test-flight area. Final tests of the plane's engines and ini struments will begin on j Thursday and the first flight . is expected within four or f five weeks.—Toulouse. Dect ember 25. r Christmas Tragedy j Eight persons, four of them > children, died last night when J an artificial Christmas tree , caught fire and flames en- . gulfed a home in the Watts j Negro quarter of Los f Angeles. The only survivor ) of the blaze, Edward Gree. i aged 18, said he did not . know how many people were . in the house, but all were members of his immediate family.—Los Angeles, December 25. - Budget Cut f President Ferdinand Mar- - cos of the Philippines has r ordered a 10 per cent cut in ! Government expenditure to - counter increasing costs. The - current national budget, total- , ling about SNZS7Bm, will 1 be reduced by about • sNZ42m.—Manila, December r 25.