Cable Briefs

Press, 16 August 1978, Page 8

Cable Briefs

Sub. inquiry The United States Navy is investigating a near catastrophe that is said to have almost cost the lives of a nuclear submarine crew. The snapping of a propeller shaft in June caused the submarine engineroom to flood. Crew members have told the Boston “Globe” newspaper that they made their captain aware of the potential problem, but he discounted it. Crew members made widespread criticism of their captain and one officer compared him to Captain Bligh. The Pentagon has confirmed that an inquiry has begun, but has also said that there is nothing to indicate that any improper or unsound action had been taken. — Washington. Speedy vote? Agreement on a new Pope will probably be reached quickly once voting starts later this month on a successor to Pope Paul VI, aides to a number of senior cardinals have said. The cardinals who will elect the next pontiff have already held six general meetings since the Pope's death. The aides said they expected the voting in the Sistine Chapel ' to take no more than two or 'three days. — Vatican City.

■ Balloonists go well Three Americans trying to make the first crossing of the Atlantic in a balloon hope to land in Europe tomorrow, a spokesman for the team has said. The three were about 960 km north-east of St John’s, Newfoundland, travelling north-east at 42 km/h and a height of 4265 metres, the spokesman at their monitoring station said yesterday. — New Bedford (Massachusetts). Silvester dies

The British dance band leader, Victor Silvester, has died in Le Lavandou, France, after going for a swim near his Riviera home, the Police have said. He was 78. The police said that Silvester, famous for his “Slow, slow, i quick, quick, slow” introduction to British radio and television programmes, I collapsed on the beach after ' snorkelling in the Mediterranean. The son of a vicar of Wembley, Silvester formed 'his own orchestra in 1935. Generations of British radio ■and television audiences before and after World War II listened to his broadcasts.

Coffee up again Reports from Brazil on the danger of an imminent frost in the southern coffeegrowing State of Parana have revived the London coffee market and prices have shot up as much as £2OO a tonne. Parana is expected to produce about a quarter of Brazil’s 1978-79 coffee crop, estimated at 20 million bags. — London.

Honour restored The former personal physician to several Chinese leaders, including Mao Tsetung, has been publicly rehabilitated after being “persecuted to death,” during the cultural revolution. The New China News Agency said that Fu Lien-chang had been rehabilitated on September 20, 1975, but it had not been reported then because the extremist “Gang of Four” had controlled the media. — Peking.

Hirohito revolution

Emperor Hirohito of Japan yesterday joined millions of Japanese in one minute of silent prayer to mark the thirty-third anniversary of the end of World War II — a conflict he never believed Japan could win, according to a document just published. The diary of the Emperor’s wartime adviser, Koichi Kido, made public by nis son, Takahiko, said that Emperor Hirohito never believed Japan could win the Pacific war and intended to i end it when he thought the odds were even. Kido was ■ detained as an alleged war . criminal by the Allied forces ,in 1945 and later jailed for I life, but was released in 11955. He died last year aged 87. His diary said that the | Emperor tried up to the last ' minute to avoid war. — Tokyo. Hearst claim Lawyers for Patty Hearst, attempting to discredit F. Lee Bailey’s job of defending • her, have claimed that Mr Bailev was to be paid $225,000 to write a book (about her trial. Papers filed Iby Hearst’s new attorney, George Martinez, said his client’s seven-year prison sentence for bank robbery i should be set aside or re- • duced because of an imperimissible conflict of interest • between trial counsel and the newspaper heiress. — San ■Francisco. : Talks resume ■’ ■ China and Vietnam have i resumed talks in Hanoi on I the position of Chinese residents of Vietnam with • Peking’s delegate saying that I the campaign against these ■ people met the needs of both Hanoi and the Soviet ■ Union. The Vice-Foriegn Minister (Mr Chung Hsi- ; tung) was reported by the New China News Agency to ; have rejected Vietnamese ; charges that large numbers •of people were moving to China because Peking pursued an “anti-Vietnam policy.” — Peking.