CABLE ITEMS IN BRIEF

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33254, 18 June 1973, Page 13

CABLE ITEMS IN BRIEF

Trial postponed

Lawyers from five Arab countries and Al Fatah’s spokesman in Cairo, Mr Gamal Sourani, have been nominated today to help to defend the eight persons charged after the attack on the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Khartoum, in March, and the murder there of three diplomats. The trial, originally due Ito take place yesterday, has been postponed indefinitely, at the request of the defence, to permit the selection of non-Sudanese lawyers to join the defence. — Cairo, June 17. Bombs in Bilbao Bombs exploded in four parked cars belonging to employees of a tyre factory near Bilbao, Spain, early today. The vehicles were badly damaged, but there were no casualties. The cars were owned by employees of Firestone Hispania, the Spanish affiliate of the Firestone Company. The incident may have been connected with mounting industrial unrest in Pamplona, about 60 miles east of the Basque city, where workers at a car-components factory have been holding illegal strikes to back their pay demands.—Bilbao, June 17.

Ore-carrier aground

The 34,000-ton bulk ore carrier Iron Hunter was forced aground by heavy seas in the harbour of New-castle-on-Tvne todav. The vessel had "been freed earlier from a sandbank, but four tugs failed in an attempt to reberth the giant carrier, which went aground again almost immediately. Harbour authorities sav that the crew are in no danger, but there are fears that the heavy seas may result in the ship breaking its back before it can be f-eed.-Newcastle. June 17. J* crash link

A young woman in the French seaport of Dunkirk has found what may be the missing tane from the flight recorder of the Soviet supersonic Tul44 airliner which crashed near Paris last week. It was in the attic of her grandmother’s house, which was damaged in the crash.— Dunkirk, June 17.

Britain swelters

Eggs may have been fried on the Air Ministry roof yesterday: news stories spoke of a London “sizzling and sweltering in a rare bout of : tropical weather.” When ' Britons use the term, “Flaming June,” they do so usually with <tongue in cheek, but this year they have had a ■ spell of consistently warm weather, and another 30 torrid days are forecast. A temperature of 81 degrees Fahrenheit was recorded in London yesterday.—London, June 17.

Sir Ralph Richardson

The veteran British actor, Sir Ralph Richardson, who is 70, was admitted to a Syd-

, .. . n £y hospital today, soon a^.er . arrivin S hy air from ain - A spokesman for the Melbourne theatre in which the ac u tor be next montb , said that he was apParently suffenng from exhaustion. Sydnej. June lo Protection sought , . „ . . ■ _ Ja .P “fj™* ? fficia s bave begun a threeday conference in Tokyo towards reacbin S bi : oad a 8 r f e eI™ 1 ? on the conclusion of a !treaty on migratory birds.

>'of migratory birds whose destruction will be banned, and » work out measures to prot tect migratory birds flying - between the two countries, i Japan signed a migratory bird . treatv with the United States r in March of last year, and i plans to conclude similar -itreaties with Australia and I China.—Tokyo, June 17.

Art theft

I Part of a painting by thei (Renaissance master, Andre (Mantegna (1431-1506) valued lat 3000 million lire (about; !$3.5m), was stolen from the Church of Saint Zeno in Verona during the night. It is one of three panels mak-i ing up Mantegna’s "Madonna and Saints,” which is considered one of the artist’s masterpieces. The police say! that it would be virtually impossible to sell it, and think it more likely that the thieves will hold it for ransom. The theft is the latest in a long chain of robberies from Italian churches: more than 25,000 works of art have! been stolen in Italy since 1957, including paintings by such masters as Giorgione and Titian. The "Milan Corriere della Sera” recently described the nation as “an immense, defenceless art gallery.”—Verona, June 17. Fatal shot Two persons were killed: and a house was destroyed in Grove Hill, Alabama, when an elderly woman fired a shot at a snake and caused the (explosion of 340 sticks of dynamite used by her husband for clearing tree stumps and other work. The police say that Mrs Bettie Foster, aged 70, and Teresa Barrington, aged 12. were killed when Mrs Foster fired a shot i at the snake. Another girl, I Ann Cook, aged 16, was in-] liured critically.—Grove Hill, (June 17. Indian optimism The Indian Prime Minister (Mrs Ghandi) said in Belgrade •yesterday that she was optimistic about future relations lon the Indian sub-continent, and elsewhere in Asia, and emphasised India’s desire to make the Indian Ocean region a zone of peace. In talks with her Jugoslav counterpart. Mr Bijedic, the Jugoslav news agency. Tanjug, reports the two leaders spent considerable time discussing their long-standing common policy of non-adherence to either I the Western of Soviet Union blocs, and to preparations for the summit conference of non-aligned leaders, in Algiers, next September. Mrs Gandhi has also had two sessions of talks with President •Tito.—Belgrade, June 17. i

Soberiiifi news

i There is discomforting news for West German motorists: the Bundestag ((Lower House) has approved legislation reducing the permissable amount of alcohol in the bloodstream by nearly half. The new limit—--0.03 per cent, compared with i the previous 0.13 per cent—corresponds to about 1} pints 'of beer consumed by a normal healthy male.—Bonn, June 17. Aerial collision ■ Two United States Air I Force Fill swing-wing fighter-bombers collided over Cambodia today, and one crashed, but the crew of two baled out, and were rescued unharmed. The other aircraft landed safely. That which crashed was the seventh American aircraft to be lost lover Cambodia since the i Vietnam cease-fire was | signed on January 27. Another was lost over Laos. —Washington, June 17. Record claimed ■ The Soviet Union claims a world record milk yield for a cow named Volga, the news agency. Tass, reports. Bom in 1968, at the Rossia State farm, in the Urals, the black and white cow yielded 22,3251 b of milk during the |first five months of 1973. The Academy of Agricultural Science has claimed the record, although the annual lactation period of 305 days Its incomplete. The existing record of 45,0811 b was set in England in 1947-48. by a British Friesian. Bridge Birch, according to the "Guinness Book of World Records."— Moscow, June 17. Resignation accepted President Franjieh of Lebanon has accepted the resignation of Dr Hafez’s Government, and will begin consultations on Monday towards the formation of a new one. IDr Hafez tendered his Government's resignation after pressure by Moslem Sunni leaders that he should step down because their community was not adeauately represented in it.—Beirut, June 17.