Cable Briefs

Press, 30 November 1978, Page 8

Cable Briefs

Father shoots boy A man has been jailed in. the fatal shooting of his 6-year-old son in an apparent dispute over SUSI the police have reported. In-' vestigators said the boy had; been shot at close range ini the forehead last Saturday.' They said it appeared that Ralph Knute Cortez, aged 28, had demanded money from his son, Frank, who said he had none. But the father searched the boy and found a one-dollar note in his pocket, the police said — San Jose (California). Fingered A suspected bank robber, has been arrested after detectives traced his fingerprints from a finger that was accidentally shot off during the crime. The North Arlington, New Jersey, police said that during the robbery of the Broad National Bank on November 17, a shotgun-toting bandit accidentally shot off his finger when he vaulted a teller’s counter. The servered left index finger was taken to the state police laboratory. A print lifted from the finger mated that of Robert Martin, aged 21, of Newark. —New York. Boycott off South Africa’s main Opposition party has agreed to serve on a Parliamentary commission investigating currency violations on condition that it may look into the scandal surrounding the now-disbanded Information Department. Mr Colin Egiin, leader of the Progressive Federal Party said he was prepared to call off a boycott of the commission established by the Prime Minister (Mr Pieter Botha). —Cape Town. Flights stopped International and domestic flights operated by Japan Air Lines were severely crippled yesterday when crew unions resumed strikes calling for the abolition of a sleeper service. More than 10,000 passengers were affected by the cancellation of 112 of 142 scheduled services, according to J.A.L. Cockpit crew walked out causing many cancellations, after complaints from stewardesses that they sometimes had to face naked men and intimate couples using the airline’s recently-in-troduced sleeper service. — Tokyo. Peking cantpaign The people of China have been told that a free-speech campaign had been launched in Peking, and that it had the approval of the country’s popular senior VicePremier (Mr Teng HsiaoPing). Thousands of people in the capital responded to his endorsement by turning out at two mass rallies and cheered lustily as speakers demanded democracy and human rights. They also cheered at every mention of Mr Teng, who was quoted in the Chinese press as saying that the leadership was united and that Peking’s present poster campaign of protest showed the stability of the country. — Peking.' Pope plans trip Pope John Paul II will fly to Mexico — his first papal trip outside Italy — to inaugurate the third general conference of Latin American bishops on January 27, w e 11-informed Vatican sources have said. The twice-postponed conference will have a crucial bearing on the future of the Roman Catholic Church, both in Latin America and the rest of the world. —- Vatican City. Sarkis backed The visiting Lebanese President (Mr Elias Sarkis) has secured France’s military and political support to end the civil strife and restore stability in his country. The French will play an important role in the reorganisation of the Lebanese Army, supplying arms and training officers and cadets in France, officials have said. — Paris.