Cable briefs

Press, 20 July 1984, Page 6

Cable briefs

No referendum The British Government has ruled out holding a referendum in Hong Kong to assess public opinion on the acceptability of an agreement on China’s future takeover of the colony. The Foreign Secretary, Sir Geoffrey Howe, told Parliament that there were draw-backs to a referendum and the Government instead proposed setting up an office in the colony to collate and assess the view of the public. The office would be under the authority of the Hong Kong Governor and a small independent team would be appointed to monitor its work.—London. Space talks The Soviet Union has proposed that space weapons talks with the United States should begin in the third week of September in Vienna, but it is still hag&over the ground rules, m officials have said. They said there was no dispute over the suggested timing but that Moscow remained hesitant over United States attempts to broaden the agenda to cover nuclear missiles as well as space weapons. Backstage discussions were at an advanced stage, and it was possible agreement on details would be announced this week.— London. Conveniences Scarborough, an English seaside resort that boasts a public toilet for every 550 inhabitants, has been named Britain’s most convenient city. The booby-prize “Wooden Seat” award, for a poor ratio went to the Welsh city of Cardiff. It has one public lavatory for every 9500 people — and they are all closed at night—LondonRoyal pupils The Queen’s elder grandson will be sent to an exclusive coeducational boarding school next year. The “Daily Telegraph” newspaper reports that Princess Anne’s son, Peter, who turns 7 in November, has been enrolled at Port Regis, a £3780 ($7938) a year preparatory school in Dorset with 65 girls among its 230 pupils. Peter is now a day boy at Blueboys’ School, Minchinhampton.— London. Diplomatic ties The Lebanese Government has decided to restore diplomatic relations with Iran after an eight-month break. Beirut radio said the decision was made at a meeting of the Syrian-backed “national unity!’ Cabinet of the Prime Minister, Rashid Karami. Government sources later confirmed the report. The Lebanese Government decided last November to close down the Iranian Embassy in Beirut. Two days later it ordered Iran’s diplomats to leave.—Beirut. Bus crash A bus carrying at least 75 passengers has plunged 200 m over a cliff killing 12 people and injuring 45 others, many of them seriously, the police have said. A public bus travelling from the La Paz suburb of El Alto to the centre of the city lost control on a curve and fell down a cliff onto an adobe dwelling, eyewitnesses reported. The cause of the accident is not known.—La Paz, Bolivia. Prostitutes’ party The eleventh annual “Hookers’ Ball,” a party thrown by call-girls seeking legalised prostitution, stole some of the thunder from the Democratic convention in San Francisco. More than 500 people paid SUSSO ($100) to attend the ball sponsored by Coyote — for “Call Off Your Old Tired Ethics” — to raise money for Coyote’s fight for legalised prostitution. Prostitution is illegal in the United States except for certain areas of Nevada.—San Francisco. Priest charged The Philippines military has filed subversion charges against a Catholic priest belonging to a nationalist group which has organised protest demonstrations against President Ferdinand Marcos. Charged was the Rev. Jose Dizon, secretary-general of the nationalist alliance, who was detained for eight hours in a military camp last month after soldiers raided the alliance’s offices. Five members of Father Dizon’s household and office staff were also charged. The alliance is an association of politicians, churchmen, workers, and students calling for an end to the Marcos rule and the abolition of United States militarry bases in the Philippines.—Manila. Three shot Three people are dead and two wounded after a shooting incident at Kingswood, in west Sydney. A police spokesman said it appeared the incident in Kingswood was a murder-suicide and the gunman was among the dead. An amublance spokesman said a woman, aged 25, and a child, aged 2, had been admitted to the Nepean District Hospital in serious conditions with gunshot wounds to the head.—Sydney.