Cable Briefs

Press, 20 January 1979, Page 8

Cable Briefs

’Quake toll 199

[ The final toll in an earthquake which flattened three villages in north-east Iran 1 on Tuesday was 199 dead and about 100 injured, a senior Iranian aid official has said. The official, of the Red Lion and Sun Society, Iran’s equivalent of the Red Cross, denied local press reports that about 1000 people [had been killed. — Teheran.

Concorde quieter

I A United States Govern[ment conclusion that the [Anglo-French concorde is able to fly more quietly at New York’s Kennedy Airport than most subsonic jets [has come as no surprise to its builders. A spokesman for the British Aerospace Corporation said he had not yet read the United States report but: “It is not surprising. The result is in line with what we have said before.” The United States Government said in a final report that through a series of manoeuvres the needlenosed aircraft was able to cause less over-all noise problems and complaints than other, slower commercial jets. — London. I Scandal probe The South African police have begun an investigation .into alleged irregularities in [ the use of Government funds [by the former Information [ Secretary, Dr Eschel Rhoodie, and his brother, Deneys. Dr Eschel Rhoodie, a key figure in this counuse of secret funds by the try’s scandal over the misnow defunct Information Denartment, left South Africa last November just before his passport was withdrawn. He is believed to be in Brazil. His brother, who was deputy secretary, is still in South Africa. — Pretoria. Bolivian march Some 40.000 Bolivian workers have marched through La Paz streets, to protest against an alleged ; Right-wing plot to seize [power. Thousands more held [similar marches in other I cities and in mining centres while the police and troops stayed away on the orders of the Government of President David Padilla who seized power last November. — La Paz.