Cable Briefs

Press, 25 October 1980, Page 8

Cable Briefs

Soviet ttraiii quest i The Soviet Union is busily; i booking ships and buying; (foodstuffs on world markets! jto offset losses suffered in; i its grain harvest this year.; .'dealers have said. Moscow’s;' Headers have conceded that! ’ the Soviet grain harvest will; be about 20 per cent below! the official target. Western; commodity experts' have ex-i ' pressed fears that this, com-f ing on top of bad harvests ini Argentina and Australia.! I could cause world food] shortages and higher prices,; ; Although hard evidence was! lacking, some dealers be-' lieved that European soya-' bean meal sales were made! | to the Soviet Union recently.! They added that such deals ; were usually shrouded in se- | crecy and hidden by deliveries through East Germany and Poland. — London

i Doctor suspended ( Dr Martin Cline, believed |to be the first scientist to use genetic engineering tech- ! niques on people, has been ; asked to give up his univeri sity administrative post temI porarily. Dr Cline has been 'as'ked by the medicine deipartment of the University {of California at Los Angeles (to step down temporarily as | chief of the university’s ! hematology and oncology diI vision. Dr Cline, aged 46, I treated two patients in Italy land Israel who have an ofteni fatal blood disease bv plac- j ; ing normal genes in their I I bone marrow cells in Julv. I ; The results of these experiments are still being (studied. — Los Angeles I

| Seamen's strike call ; Britain’s National Union lof Seamen has called unon 'its 40.000 members to stage ] a one-day strike on Novem- ; her 3 to protest against Gurnard’s plan to cut crew costs by putting two liners under a flag of convenience. The national stoopage. if it ’ occurs, would affect British flag shins in port that day, including ferries. The union also seeks through the International Transport Workers’ Federation in Europe to black the movement of al| iCunard vessels. There are 26 i cargo shins in the fleet as (well as three liners. Under ; merchant shinning leaisla- | tion. it is illegal for seamen Ito stop work while their ] shins are at sea. Cutiard has ■ «aid that it will sell the 166,000 ton Queen Elizabeth ; 11. as well as two loss-mak- ' ing Caribbean cruise ships iff , the dispute is not resolved! 'quickly. — London.

Raid concerns U.S. ( Tire United States, expressing serious concern ; over Israel’s- pre-emptive air 'strike south of Beirut this week, has said it is in- : vestigating whether Israel violated restrictions on the use of United States-sup-nlied arms “This is the first 'lsraeli air strike near Beirut " in more than a year” the State Department said. “We are seriously disturbed bv an escalation of the level of violence in Lebanon which can only* raise tensions there and in the area.” Under the 1952 Defence Supplies Agreement between the two countries, Israel promised to use United States-supplied amis only in legitimate selfdefence. — Washington.

: I .A. call ‘arrogant* -■ Vietnam has said that the international conference on; ; Kampuchea called for bv the! s'United Nations would /achieve nothing and its reso- , Jutions would have no value.' 1 Radio Hanoi described thei • General Assembly decision; as “an arrogant challenge to! the conscience of progres-i ; sive mankind.” The confer-! ence, to be held early next; year, is aimed .at securing; the withdrawal of foreign! /forces from Kampuchea,! !where Vietnam has about! ;200.000 troops, and the holding of United Nations-super-; (vised elections —Bangkok, i ‘Soviet offensive* , i Hundreds of Russian tanks ; and armoured vehicles have) launched a major offensive; near Afghanistan's eastern; border, apparently aimed at| halting insurgent traffic to: and from Pakistan, a renorti from Kabul said. The Rus-1 ,sians onened the attack last’ ’week from Gardez. 100 km! south east of Kabul across) rusged Paktiya province .with the help of hundreds of .'Communist Party "volun-f Iteers” and tribal mercen-) iaries, said the reoort from a I Kabul source that in thei Hast has been accurate. — INew Delhi. 1