CABLED BRIEFS

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32199, 19 January 1970, Page 11

CABLED BRIEFS

Jordan's Budget Massive arms expenditure dominates Jordan’s Budget for 1970, approved in draft form yesterday by the Cabinet The Armed Forces Bill will ac- . count for more than 42 mil lion dinars (about 8105 m), or : nearly half the country’s total expenditure.—Amman, January 18. Animals Blessed Italian animal-lovers took | their dogs, horses, cats, and I even birds, to church yester- ; day to have them blessed on I the Feast Day of Saint I Antony, protector of animals. In Rome the city council ; made its traditional presenta- ! tion of oats to more than 100 ! of the city’s carriage horses. I —Rome, January 18. Pill Permitted

Thailand would not ban the use of birth-control pills, in spite of the claims made in both the United States and Britain that they could cause cancer, the Deputy Minister of Health (Dr Somboon Phong-Aksara) said today. Dr Somboon told reporters that the use of the pill would be allowed until the truth about the claims could be established.—Bangkok, January 18. Priest Shortage Roman Catholic priests in the Philippines have called for married men to be ordained to counter a shortage of clergy in many areas. In a resolution adopted yesterday, a conference of priests in Manila suggested that men who had been married for 10 years, and had reputations for integrity and leadership, should be ordained.—Manila, January 18. Lennons Expected John Lennon, of Beatles fame, and his Japanese wife, Yoko Ono, are expected to be the main attraction at the largest open-air pop festival to be held in Australia, at Ou Imbah, a farm property 60 miles north of Sydney, next week-end. The organisers say they have invited the Lennons to appear before they travel on to New Zealand.—Sydney, Jan. 17. Basques On Trial Twenty-six young Basques, five of whom failed to appear, face up to 15 years imprisonment after their trial in the : Public Order Court, Madrid. 1 on charges concerning I separatist activities. Defence | counsel has denied all the ! charges, which include shout- ! ing Basque slogans, illegal ' association, and distributing • separatist propaganda. The court will announce its verdict later.—Madrid, January 18. Omega For Cunard The Cunard Steamship Company has decided to buy outright the Omega radio navigation receiver it has been using, on trial, aboard the ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 11. Four shore transmitter stations give the Omega system full coverage of the North Atlantic and the Eastern North Pacific, and the company hopes that four more transmitters, including one either in Australia or New Zealand, will be in use by the end of 1972.—London, January 18.