Cable briefs

Press, 14 January 1982, Page 6

Cable briefs

New Aust. Governor A Justice of the Australian High Court. Sir Ninian Stephen, will be Australia's next Governor-General. The English-born judge will replace Sir Zelman Cowen in late July.—Canberra. Drug ring broken Melbourne detectives believe they have cracked a big cannabis smuggling ring in Australia. Three women and four men have been arrested in Melbourne after drug raids by the Victorian and Federal’ police and the Customs Department. They said the ring cracked was the subject of a year long investigation.—Melbourne. ‘Militants’ charged The Turkish military authorities have filed conspiracy charges against at least 4000 alleged Leftist and Rightist militants while another 20.000 await prosecution in overcrowded prisons, according to official sources. The military crack-down on Leftist and Rightist underground groups had created a new problem for the military judiciary and the country’s out-dated prison system, they said. According to official figures at least 40.000 suspected Leftist and Rightist “militants" have been rounded up during the 16 months since the coup engineered by General Kenan Evren and other service commanders.—lstanbul. Egypt refuses haste Egypt has told the American Secretary of State (Mr Alexander Haig) that it will not be rushed into a vague agreement with Israel on autonomy for Palestinians on the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. It welcomed Mr Haig’s arrival in Egypt in the hope that his visit would help to overcome obstacles in the long-running Egyptian-Israeli talks. But the Egyptian Foreign Minister (Mr Kamal Hassan Ali) told him: "Egypt on its part will spare no effort to keep the talks going until they bring about their desired results, either before or after the complete Israeli withdrawal from Sinai, taking into account the current practical considerations.”— Cairo. ■ Editor ousted Journalists at the influential French daily, "Le Monde," have voted to oust the man they earlier chose to take over as editor at the end of this year after a quarrel over his plans to reorganise the newspaper. Claude Julien, aged 56, was elected by his colleagues in June. 1980, to succeed Jacques Fauvet, aged 67. when he retired as director (editor) of the Left-leaning newspaper. But the 190strong editorial staff, whose 40 per cent share in the newspaper’s management gives them effective .power over the nomination, have voted to cancel the appointment and seek a new candidate.—Paris. Trudeau reshuffle The Canadian Prime Minister (Mr Pierre Trudeau) has reshuffled key Government Ministries in a bid to make his country’s foreign policy more aggressive and trade-oriented. He has switched responsibility for foreign trade to a revamped and expanded External Affairs Department. Pierre de Bane, formerly Minister of Regional Economic Expansion, was made part of a new triumvirate running Canada’s foreign relations, headed by the Secretary of State for External Affairs (Mr Mark MacGuigan). The Minister of State for International Trade (Mr Ed Lumley) also moved to External Affairs, becoming the department’s third Minister.—Ottawa. Judge disputes pact An American Federal District Court judge has refused to dismiss the Government’s anti-monopoly suit against American Telephone and Telegraph Company until he has had a closer look at a settlement announced recently. Judge Harold Greene, presiding over the trial of the case, said in court that the settlement reached between the company and the Justice Department should be examined by him to determine if it was reasonable and in the public interest. He accused both sides in the case of skirting proper legal procedure in submitting the proposed settlement to a court in New Jersey, which had approved the agreement.—Washington.