Cable briefs

Press, 6 March 1985, Page 10

Cable briefs

Q’ld fire battle mFire-fighters were battling yesterday a huge blaze east of Barcaldine, in Queensland’s central west, which destroyed 3200 ha of grazing land. The Rural Fire Board said 20,000 ha was still threatened. High temperatures and strong southeasterly winds plunged the tinder-dry south-west border region and western Darling Downs into extreme fire danger. — Brisbane. N.S.W. emergency A drop in overnight temperatures helped fire-fighters battling bushfires in 10 areas of southern New South Wales yesterday, including two on the outskirts of the Sydney metropolitan area. But the state’s Bushfire Council said that although the drop in temperature has decreased the risk of more outbreaks, emergency declarations were still current in six areas. — Sydney. Youngest recipient A five-year-old Australian girl has become the youngest person to receive a new heart and lungs. Brooke Matthews was reported to be making good progress in the intensive-care unit at London’s Harefield Hospital. She was given the heart and lungs of a three-year-old child by the veteran transplant surgeon, Magdi Yacoub, in a 4¥z-hour operation. — London.

Avalanche toll Crews working by torchlight pulled three more dead from snow-buried vehicles yesterday, bringing to 11 the death toll from the worst avalanche in Switzerland in 15 years. The whole death toll comprised five Swiss and five West Germans. The nationality of the eleventh victim had not been determined. — Zermatt. Hello, sailor American crewmen aboard two United States Navy destroyers visiting Sydney had been deluged with offers of Australian hospital, says a Royal Australian Navy public relations officer. He was unable to give exact figures on the response to the service. — Sydney. Explosive protest About 50,000 protesters marched through La Paz yesterday, setting off sticks of dynamite and urging the President, Dr Hernan Siles Zuazo, to resign because of what they said was the suffering caused by his economic policies. The demonstration was the biggest since October, 1982, when Bolivians hailed Dr Siles Zuazo’s return from exile to take over from a military Government. — La Paz, Bolivia. Mine seized About 500 miners and their wives have seized control of South Korea’s biggest coal mine demanding free trade unions. The protesters accused the current leadership of their trade union of adopting a pro-Government attitude and demanded direct elections of their leaders. — Seoul.