CABLE ITEMS IN BRIEF

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33065, 4 November 1972, Page 15

CABLE ITEMS IN BRIEF

New Amin threat President Amin of Uganda has given a warning that the country’s armed forces will shoot dot the aircraft of any private airline which operates in Uganda without the Government’s knowledge. General Amin has already announced a ban on two private airlines, Carspair and MultiAviation, for bringing tourists into Uganda “after they had paid their bills outside the country.”—Kampala, November 3.

Political dissenters Britain’s newest political party, founded in July to express dissent on two emotive issues, has announced its intention to fight two Parliamentary by-elections. The National Independence Party, which opposes mass immigration and Britain’s entry into the European Common Market, will have candidates for two London seats, voting dates for which have not yet been announced. The party, claiming 5000 members, says that its views are close to those of the Conservative Right-winger, Mr Enoch Powell.—London, Nov. 3. South Pacific ’quake

A severe earthquake was recorded yesterday in the South Pacific, about 200 miles east of New Caledonia, the National Earthquake Information Centre in Boulder, Colorado, reports. Its magnitude was computed at 7.5 on the Richter scale, and it occurred in the Loyalty Island region, an earthquake-prone area. No serious damage has been reported.—Boulder, Nov. 3. London letter-bomb

A letter-bomb bearing a Malaysian postmark was received by a Jewish charitable organisation in London yesN

terday. The police were called to the London headquarters of the organisation, and the device was defused by experts. Scotland Yard says that the bomb was similar to the device that killed the Israeli Embassy’s agricultural attache, Dr Ami Shachori, six weeks ago.— London, November 3.

Hijacking move Armed security officials from West Germany’s paramilitary border police will be stationed at foreign airports to help to combat hijacking, the West German airline, Lufthansa, announces. Sixty border policemen will be seconded to Lufthansa at 41 foreign airports regarded as “sensitive.”—Cologne, Nov. 3. Aircraft deal The Singapore Government has ordered six Skyvan military transport aircraft from Britain for its fledgling Air Defence Command. The Short Brothers and Harland aircraft will be fitted with long-range fuel tanks, giving them a flight endurance of about eight hours.—Singapore, November 3.

U.K. reserves fall Britain’s reserves of gold, dollars, and other convertible currencies dropped by £B9m during October, to £2248m, the Treasury announced today. It gave the dollar-con-version of the fall at SUS23O million, and the present total at SUSSBS9m, based on the pre-floating parity rate of 2.6057.—L0nd0n, Nov. 3. Kashmir dispute Pakistan is studying an Indian message proposing that the two countries should begin withdrawing their troops from ground occupied

in the war last December, pending final settlement of a new Kashmir truce line. Local correspondents suggest that the latest Indian proposal is in accord with Pakistan’s stand on withdrawals: that under the Simla Agreement they are in no way connected with delineation of the Kashmir control line.— Islamabad, November 3. Fatal blast Ten Taiwanese workers were killed, and 41 were injured, yesterday, when an explosion occurred aboard a Norwegian tanker undergoing repairs at the Taiwan Shipbuilding Company’s docks at the northern port of Keelung. The blast came when gas leaked from a welding torch being used to replace worn deck plates on the 20,000-ton Texaco Britannia. — Taipei, November 3. Nuclear test

The Soviet Union yesterday tested a very powerful nuclear device in the megaton class in its Siberian testing area, the Swedish Seismological Institute in Uppsala reports. It describes the underground blast as one of the most powerful on record, and compares it in strength to the American test at Amchitka a year ago. The explosion in Siberia measures 7.1 on the Richter scale.

Refugees content Many of the 11,000 Asian refugees from Uganda still in temporary accommodation centres in Britain find them so comfortable that they may make no effort to find homes for themselves, according to Mr Praful Patel, an Asian member of the board that is resettling the refugees in Britain. “There is a great temptation for some of them to remain in the camps in-

definitely,” he said. “They are very comfortable, and very happy.” The centres, mostly former military bases, cost film a month to run.— London, November 1. Vietnam build-up The United States has begun transferring her huge Hercules transport aircraft from her Air National Guard units to the South Vietnamese Air Force in a sudden development in the Vietnamisation programme—apparently, in a crash programme to build up the Saigon Governments forces before a ceasefire. America’s even larger Galaxy cargo aircraft are busy shuttling in war materials, mostly armoured carriers, from the United States.---Saigon, Nov. 3. Wool worry Japanese wool-spinning mills may have to slash their wool imports if the present high price-trend continues. Kanebo, one of the largest wool-consumers in Japan, says that it is planning to reduce its raw wool purchases by 15 to 20 per cent because of the rise in wool prices and a decline in prices for woollen products. Kanebo consumes about 230,000 bales of raw wool a year.—Tokyo, November 3.

Ethiopia’s resources Emperor Haile Selassie, of Ethiopia, says tests have shown that there is oil and natural gas in the southern part of the country. Addressing the opening session of Parliament in the Speech from the Throne after the summer recess, the Emperor said that detailed studies to harness these resources as a cheap source of electric power would be carried out this year. Adis Ababa, November 3«