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Press, 21 April 1982, Page 8

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Papal dais fire

Fire early yesterday seriously damaged the "partly built dais being made ready for the Pope’s visit to Cardiff on June 2 during his tour of Britain. The special wooden platform was set alight shortly before midnight in Pontcanna Fields, where the Pope is due to celebrate an open-air Mass for an expected crowd of 350.000. Detectives and police in the city are searching for three youths seen running from the area, about a kilometre from the city centre. — Cardiff. Soviet satellite

The Soviet Union has announced the launching of a new Salyut orbital station to pave the way for a fresh series of manned flights into space. The Salyut 7 station was launched yesterday and was functioning normally, the official Tass news agency said. The new space station is clearly intended to replace the Salyut 6 which was launched in September, 1977, and has been the home for a succession of cosmonauts from the Soviet Union and its allies under the intercosmos space programme. — Moscow.

Red Square protest

Seven West Europeans were detained for several hours after being seized by K.G.B. security police oh Moscow’s Red Square when they staged a demonstration against Soviet arms spending. The protesters, two' Frenchmen, two Spaniards, two Italians and one Belgian, unfurled a three-metre bluelettered banner bearing the words: “Bread, life and disarmament." Five members of the group belonged to. the Rome-based “Radical Party," a West European minority movement which is campaigning against arms spending and for increased aid to the Third World. 'K.G.B. police, who appeared to have prior knowledge of the demonstration, quickly beat down the banner and hustled the seven men into a waiting car. — Moscow. Attack at court An angry mob at Fairfield Court. Sydney, attacked three men charged over shootings at a Canley Vale party. The police, who struggled to lead the accused from the courthouse back to the police station cells, arrested four young men. Minutes earlier the court was told that the three accused had blamed each other for the shootings; which killed two people and injured eight others. The police alleged that two of the

men had been asked to leave the party and had later returned with iron bars and a semi-automatic .22 calibre rifle. — Sydney. University reopens The Palestinian University of Bir Zeil on the occupied West Bank, has reopened after being closed for two months because of antiIsraeli riots. It was the second time this year the authorities nad shut down Bir Zeit. a centre of Palestinian nationalism. The Israeli military governor had accused university officials .and students of violating an undertaking to refrain from political, activities and violent demonstrations. — Jerusalem. Killer to die The Florida Supreme Court has refused today to stay the execution of Stephen Todd Brooker, sentenced to die tomorrow for raping and murdering a 94-year-old woman. Appeals for Booker and another death row inmate moved to the Federal Court in Atlanta, was not entitled to a new sanity hearing. A lawyer. Steven Bernstein, had sought to stay the execution because of an opinion by a Tallahassee psychiatrist that Booker was mentally impaired. — Tallahassee. Aboriginal call Queensland . aboriginal leaders yesterday called on while people to join blacks in boycotting this year's Brisbane Commonwealth Games. The Queensland chairman of the National Aboriginal Conference. Steve Mam, said all people - not just Aborigines and islanders, should spend their money elsewhere. The state branch supported peaceful protests to coincide with the Games, which he said would be a monument to Aboriginal and islander suffering. - Canberra. Iran envoy quits The Iranian Charge d'Affaires in Italy has resigned and seeks political' asylum, accusing Iran’s revolutionary Government of executing more than 10.000 people since it came to power. Mohammad Hossein Naghdi. in charge of the Iranian Embassy in Italy since his predecessor also resigned in August, cited lack of freedom. the war against Iraq.. and economic problems among his reasons for quitting. — Rome.