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Press, 12 November 1981, Page 6

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California jolted Two moderate earthquakes have jolted an area north of Los Angeles, rattling windows and shaking buildings but apparently causing no serious damage or injuries. The first ’quake registered 4.5 on the Richter scale at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. An aftershock at 3.9 on the Richter scale’s measure of ground motion came two minutes later. — Bakersfield. Premier ousted The Tasmanian Premier, Doug Lowe, was ousted from the leadership of the parliamentarv Labour Party yesterday ' by colleagues who have' grown increasingly disenchanted in the last year with his style of leadership. Several hours later Mr Lowe resigned as Premier and as a member of the labour Party and announced that he would sit in the State Parliament as an Independent. — Hobart. ‘Ex-spy kidnapped’ Two former American Central Intelligence Agency men convicted in the United States for conspiring to sell arms to agents posing as South American revolutionaries, were abducted in Beirut last week-end, C.B.S. News has reported. The network quoted informed sources as saying the two men, Frank Terpil and Gary Korkola, “were abducted in Beirut by three Syrians, one of whom is identified as a freelance intelligence agent." Terpil is a former C.I.A. man wanted by American authorities for allegedly conspiring with another former agent and fugitive, Edwin Wilson, to sell arms to Libya and contracting to supply American soldiers to train terrorists for the libyan leader, Muammar Gadaffi. — Washington. Birth hint to blacks Enforced birth control might have to be applied in South Africa by future generations unless all population groups voluntarily adopt family planning measures, says a senior Health Ministry official. Dr Johan de Beer, director-general of health, welfare and pensions, told the President's Council — a multi-racial Government advisory body — that the high birth rate among blacks was disastrous and could not carry on unchecked. — Johannesburg. London warning London is heading for economic ruin and the Government must take its full share of the blame, according to the London Chamber

of Commerce and Industry. ' The chamber, which repns ? sents 'BOOO member firms from small organisations to BP. Shell and the banks, has sent a letter to the Environmental Secretary (M r Michael Heseltine) warning of the dangers. The letter said that all but one of the London boroughs had increased their rates this year by more than the prevailing - rate of inflation — and 17 had levied an increase at more than double the infla- * tion rate. — London. ”, Guerrillas ‘fail’ ? President Reagan has said r that El Salvador’s Leftist f! guerrillas have “failed miserably” to win over the « country’s population and that ; Salvadoreans still support their American-backed Gov- J ernment. Mr Reagan told a - press conference he could * not deny that there could be v something of a stalemate ‘ between the guerrillas and ' the Government as far as a ir quick military solution to their conflict was concerned, j But he said it could not be ' J denied that the Leftist forces, - “with their terrorist tactics, have failed miserably in an ■? attempt to bring the popula- ;; tion over on their side.” — Washington. * Police ‘need money’ ‘ The Leader of the Opposition National Federation • Party (Mr Jai Ram Reddy) ■- has called for more money for the police to help it combat what he says is “rapidly worsening” law and order in Fiji. It came after a week-end when one taxi driver was killed, two others ~ were robbed, one of them being beaten severely, and a shopkeeper couple robbed and beaten unconscious. Mr Reddy said the Government had to take full responsibility for the worsening situation because it was spending more money outfitting the army than on the police. He was referring to Fiji’s participation in the United Nations peace-keeping force in the Lebanon, and its planned participation in the United States-sponsored multi-national observer force in the Sinai. — Suva. Rare bird found A type of bird believed to have died out nearly 100 years ago has been discovered in New Guinea, the “Standard” has reported. It was living in an elaborate tower of boughs and fruit built to attract its mate, the newspaper said. There may be a thousand or more of the birds left, said an explorer, Jared Diamond, who discovered the yellow-fronted gardener bowerbird in a New Guinea rain forest. — London.