Cable briefs

Press, 25 February 1987, Page 10

Cable briefs

Soviets buy grain

A senior Soviet official said yesterday his Government had bought just over one million tonnes of United States com in the last few days, breaking a long freeze on purchases of American grain. The Soviet First Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade, Vladislav Malkevich, said Moscow would buy more “as long as United States prices are competitive.” — Washington. Mozambique aid The World Food Programme has called for extra emergency relief for Mozambique, where it says some 3.5 million people are desperately short of food. The W.F.P. director, James Ingram, said a further 300,000 tonnes of food were needed this year, in addition to the 410,000 tonnes already pledged for 1987 by international donors. — Rome. Bride humiliated A bride in China committed suicide after

friends placed a microphone in her bedroom on her wedding night said a Hong Kong newspaper. The independent “Ming Pao” said in a report from the central Chinese city of Kaifeng that Zhai Yunhua hanged herself after she found her wedding night “pillow talk” had been broadcast over a village loudspeaker. — Hong Kong. Wedding tragedy Thirty-five people returning from a wedding party near Enugu, in eastern Nigeria, were killed when their bus careered off the road last Saturday, the News Agency of Nigeria reported. — Lagos. Jail term

Three Dutchmen . have been fined and sentenced to three weeks’ imprisonment for making Hitler salutes and shouting “Sieg Heil” at peace demonstrations in The Hague in 1983. The three, identified as belonging to an extreme Right-wing group, the Dutch People’s Union,

were fined 500 guilders ($456) each. — The Hague. Space provisions A Soviet space cargo transporter has separated from the orbiting station Mir after delivering supplies from Earth, the official Tass news agency reported. The transporter had completed unloading equipment, fuel, water, food and air supplies for Mir, which has been manned by two cosmonauts, Yuri Romanenko and Alexander Laveikin, since February 8. The two are expected to remain in space for up to 290 days. — Moscow.