Cable Briefs

Press, 17 January 1979, Page 8

Cable Briefs

Governor back Marvin Mandel, whose conviction on political corruption charges was overturned last Thursday, has resumed the powers of governor of Maryland for the 45 hours remaining of his term. “This office means a lot to me,” Mr Mandel said in reclaiming his office. His term expires today with the swearing-in of his successor, Harry Hughes, who ran on a clean-government platform. —Annapolis. Millionaire choked The Swiss millionaire, ! Olga Deterding, choked to [death on a large piece of ! meat she tried to swallow at [a New Year party, a London coroner has said. Recording a verdict of accidental death, the coroner said that when she died the level of! alcohol in her blood was; four times the permitted; amount for driving a car. Miss Deterding, aged 52, was the daughter of Henry Deterding,- the founder of the Royal Dutch Shell Oil; 1 Company.—London. Plague outbreak Ten people have died of| bubonic plague in Kenya, I and there have been 300 sus-l pected cases since August, | the country’s director of medical services has said.! Senior Health Ministry)

,| sources said it was the first! I outbreak of bubonic plague! (— the “black death” of the .(middle ages — for 17 years in Kenya and authorities had, set up a national committee to prevent a big outbreak. — Nairobi. Cabinet quits The entire Bolivian Cabinet has resigned, plunging (the country into a political crisis. An official announce(ment gave no reason for the mass resignation of the mili(tary Government, which (seized power in a bloodless (coup d’etat last November. I | — La Paz.

Riot at banks Crowds angefed by prolonged work slowdowns by bank employees attacked four banks with rocks and fought pitched battles on Monday with the police using tear-gas, the United News of India has reported from Ahmedabad, 500 km north of Bombay. The Prime Minister (Mr Morarji Desai) said meanwhile that if necessary, his Government would declare the banks an essential industry, a preliminary step to Government intervention against the 20day nation-wide bank slowdown that has crippled financial activity in India.— New Delhi.

Refugees leave l| The first batch of 50 Vietnamese from among 898 refugees stranded aboard a 'small freighter the Hai Hong • for two months pending resettlement in the United States have left Kuala Lumpur for Bangkok on the first leg of their flight to permanent homes. The Hai Hong carrying 2500 refugees ar-

rived off Malaysia’s peninsular west coast .in early November after it was pushed out of an Indonesian island in the South China Sea. ‘More boats have since ari rived in Hong Kong and Manila Bay where they are still ‘stranded. — Kuala Lumpur. Basque protest Demonstrations erupted in three Basque towns on Monday and at least five people were reported injured when riot police fired rubber bullets and smoke bombs to disperse the crowds. Demonstrators sympathetic to the Basque guerrilla group ETA. stoned police and seized building materials and parked cars to erect makej shift barricades, eyewitnesses said. — San Sebasitian.