Cable briefs

Press, 19 August 1981, Page 8

Cable briefs

Planes collide Two light planes have collided in mid-air and crashed into downtown San Jose, killing the pilot of one of the planes. Two men in the other plane were described as “stableand alert" in hospital. A spokesman for the’Federal Aviation Administration said the collision occurred while the pilots were “under visual flight rules,” meaning the pilots "have the responsibility- to separate themselves.” Asked if that meant air controllers were not monitoring the planes, he said j that was not what he said, ■ but he refused to elaborate. j — San Jose. ’■ ' ; ? •••’! Bomb arrest

A former Hungarian "freedom fighter" has been arrested. along with four other people, for the extortionist bombing at a Nevada casino last August, an F. 8.1. spokesman has said. The bomb, planted inside a box labelled as a photocopying machine, was wheeled into Harvey’s Wagon Wheel in Stateline, Nevada, and left with a letter demanding SUS 3 million. While authorities tried to defuse the bomb by remote control the next day, it exploded, killing no-one but causing damage worth $14.6 million. One of those charged, John (Janos) Waldo Birges, sen., aged 59, had lost a great deal of money at the casino. — Las Vegas. Cuban tour

Cuba rolled out Sovietbuilt military equipment yesterday to car ry foreign journalists to the United states' Guantanamo naval base in Cuba to watch American war games. The Cuban Government had invited the journalists to witness part of the Ocean Venture 81 manoeuvres at the base from the surrounding Cuban militarised zone. No reason was given for the invitation, but one Cuban official said the journalists would be able to “see for themselves that the United States occupies a piece of Cuban territory and carries out warlike manoeuvres there." — Havana. Fighting kills 20 About 20 people were killed and 70 were wounded yesterday when rival groups battled with artillery, mortars, and heavy machineguns for more than 12 hours in a south Beirut suburb, hospital sources said. Syrian peace-keeping troops, backed by tanks and armoured vehicles. moved in to halt the fighting and the State-run Beirut Radio reported later that the clashes had been contained. The fighting pitted members of amal, a Shi’ite Muslim militia, against Communist gunmen. — Beirut. ‘Darling" of ship

Prince Charles’s bride. Princess Diana, joined in be-low-deck sing-songs with the crew and appeared on the bridge in a bikini during their honeymoon cruise aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia, the mass circulation “Sun" newspaper has reported. According to the "Sun," which quoted an identified sailor Princess Diana "became the darling” of the Britannia’s 276 crew members during the two-week Mediterranean cruise. In the afternoons, the report said, Prince Charles took a nap alone while Princess Diana explored the ship, on one occasion going up to the bridge in a bikini and on another into the mess room just after shower time, when sailors were still in towels. “It's all right, I'm a married women, aren’t I," the ."Sun” quoted Princess Diana as having said.—London.