Cable briefs

Press, 12 March 1982, Page 6

Cable briefs

Forced castration A white farmer who forced an 18-year-old Coloured (mixed race) labourer to castrate himself at gunpoint after the youth raped the farmer’s elderly mother has been jailed for 18 months. Passing sentence in a Cape Town court, the judge said Ivan Burger, aged 42, had not carried out a punishment but committed a crime. During the trial, doctors testified that the castration had been performed cleanly and clinically correctly with a sharp knife, but said it must have been extremely painful without anaesthetics. The youth, Kallie Fortuin, was sentenced to 10 years’ jail last year. — Cape Town. Trade progress Japanese and United States trade officials have ended two days of working level talks “hopeful” of solving their serious trade disputes but with little tangible proof that Japan’s markets will open to American products. David Macdonald, head of the American delegation, said there was “some likelihood of substantial moves” by Japan to liberalise its import restrictions, but declined to give specific examples of progress in the' talks.” During the inter-agency sessions, the two sides did agree to set up a working group to discuss, beginning next month, 22 agricultural commodities that the United States claims Japan has restricted. — Tokyo. Claims dismissed A leading Aboriginal has denied allegations that some Australian Aboriginals plan to go to Libya for terrorist training to disrupt this year’s Commonwealth Games in Brisbane. The Aboriginal Development Commission chairman (Mr Charles Perkins) said that the statement by the Queensland Premier (Mr Joh Bjelke-Pet-ersen) that the police had evidence of the scheme was a smokescreen to divert public attention from controversial and sweeping powers given to the police and private security firms during the games. — Sydney. Asylum granted France has granted political asylum to a Central African Republic Opposition leader, Ange Patasse, who took refuge in the French Embassy in Bangui last week after an abortive coup attempt. Earlier the Central African Government reportedly issued an ultimatum to France to release Mr Patasse within the next 48 hours, but the French External Relations Ministry has denied this. — Paris. Slump warning The industrialised West could slide into depression if interest rates stay high, export growth falls off and businessmen lose hope for an expected recovery, United Nations economists have said. The Economic Commission for Europe, in a gloomy annual survey, said that doubts about a quick revival from the recession, now deeper than the first slump in 1973-1974 sparked by sudden oil price rises, could push Western Europe and the faltering United States economy into decline. — Geneva.