New Year horoscopes have usual forebodings

Press, 1 February 1983, Page 33

New Year horoscopes have usual forebodings

NZPA Singapore If the year's end is a time of joy for most, it is the season to be gloomy for astrologers who peep into their crystal balls and horoscopes for weighty forebodings about the world's top newsmakers. However, should the predictions of death, political catastrophe, or natural disaster put a damper on the holiday spirit, all that is needed is a look at the track record of past prophecies. Future-gazing is a chancy business. The crop of predictions for 1983 includes a close shave for the United States President. Mr Reagan, and the loss of power for Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi, of India, and Menachem Begin, of Israel. Death was forecast for Iran's octogenarian spiritual lealder. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeiny. The Iranian, however, has been the target of doomsday prophets before. An Egyptian astrologer. Sheikh Hussein Al-Chymi. quoted in the Kuwaiti newspaper, "As-Siassa." in

December. 1979. said that Ayatollah Khomeiny ■'would disappear from the political scene in April (1980) after a serious conflict with his lieutenant. Ayatollah Kazem Shariat-Madari." The Egyptian also predicted at that time the death of the Soviet President. Leonid Brezhnev, in 1980. Five years earlier, the famed Israeli astrologer. Ilan Pecker, said that Mr Brezhnev would resign in 1975 for health reasons. However, the Kremlin chief clung to life and his post until last month Mr Pecker is said to have seen almost a year in advance the October. 1973. Middle East war. He had less success, however, with a followup forecast: that the Soviet Union would occupy Jerusalem after directly intervening in a new Middle East conflict in 1975. Sheikh Hussein. who claims to have predicted the death of the Egyptian President Gamel Abdel Nasser two years before it happened. also warned of the "ouster of Syrian President

Hafez Assad after internal troubles lasting up to November. 1980." But the Syrian leader is still going strong. The Sheikh did forecast the death of President Tito of Yugoslavia and the deposed Shah of Iran in 1980. However. a third prediction that Habib Bourguiba of Tunisia would not survive that year went awry. A Beirut soothsayer. Abdul Hafiz Attar, once claimed 95 per cent accuracy for his predictions. His success rating. however, took a tumble in January. 1975. when he came out with these gems: Mao Tse-tung would be shot dead; Australia would disappear in a massive earthquake: a bombing raid bv Israel on Mecca would spark a third world war; and the then United States President. Gerald Ford, would die. Perhaps the only safe bet in the prediction game is that no matter what happens to this year's crop of forecasts. there will always be further dire prophecies next time round.