CABLE BRIEFS

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32810, 10 January 1972, Page 11

CABLE BRIEFS

Ecuador election Ecuador will hold a General Election on June 4 this year, auguring a return to Parliamentary democracy after two years of Presidential dictatorship.—Quito, Jan. 9. Zanzibar amnesty Zanzibar will release all prisoners and close the island’s prisons this week. All prisoners will be required to say, on oath, that they will stay law-abiding citizens.— Zanzibar, Jan. 9. U.S. unemployment The unemployment rate in the United States rose to 6.1 per cent in December from 6 per cent in November, the Labour Department reports. The rate for 1971 averaged 5.9 per cent, compared with 4.9 per cent in 1970.—Washington, January 9.

Heath sells well Mr Edward Heath’s conducting of the London Symphony Orchestra in Sir Edward Elgar’s Cockaigne overture, at a concert in London in November, may provide a best-selling record. The long-playing record of the charity concert has proved very popular since it was issued, in December. — London, Jan. 9. Xenophon tomb An archaeologist, Miss Dora Karagiorgas, says that the tomb of Xenophon, the Athenian historian and general, may have been found, near ancient Olympus. A cemetery of 20 third or fourth century B.C. tombs has been found and there is evidence that one belonged to Xenophon’s family.—Athens, Jan. 9. Students bow out A group of university students opposed to the multi-million dollar amusement project of Mrs Tien Suharto, wife of the Indonesian President, is abandoning its protest, to avoid intervention by the armed forces. —Djkarta, Jan. 9. Playwright dies Alfred Gehri, one of the century’s most prolific French language playwrights, has died in Morges, aged 76. He wrote almost 40 plays, including “Sixieme Etage,” which had 20,000 performances in 40 countries, was filmed twice and produced on radio and television in 26 countries. — Morges, (Switerland), Jan. 9. Record claimed A French hypnotist, Yvon Yva, has claimed a world record after keeping a patient asleep under hypnosis for 108 hours and 45 minutes. Miss Sonia Laurens, aged 24, was hypnotised last Monday evening on the stage of the Bobino Music Hall. According to Yva she awoke for the first time on Friday night.—Paris, Jan. 9. Palace burnt A fourteenth century palace once occupied by the astronomer, Galileo, was almost completely destroyed by fire in Padua yesterday. The police estimated the damage at about $NZ706,000, and said only the facade of the palace was left standing.—Padua (Italy), January 9.