Cable briefs

Press, 20 October 1987, Page 8

Cable briefs

Leopard loose One of two snow leopards which escaped from Howletts Zoo after a tree crashed its cage at the height of the storm which ravaged southern England was still on the loose yesterday. The zoo park belongs to millionaire, John Aspinall. Police in the area were warning people not to try to catch the cat. Inspector Roger Cruttenden described the animal as “dangerous.”— London. Fire kills 21 Members of Indonesia’s Parliament demanded tighter safety controls and a full Investigation after a fire in a Jakarta garment sweatshop, killing 21 people and critically injuring five. The official Antara news agency said the owner of the garment factory would be charged for failing to follow Government safety and work regulations. Nearby residents claimed the factory employed more than 50 people, when official documents said it was only supposed to employ 16, Antara said. — Jakarta. >

Train crash At least 10 people were killed and 50 injured when a Yugoslav passenger train and a goods train collided head on at Zajecar, eastern Yugoslavia. Eight people died immediately and 30 of the injured were in critical condition in hospital, the police told Reuters. The police said two injured passengers died on the way to hospital and many others were fighting for their lives with serious spinal injuries.—Belgrade. Death sentences Sixteen people, including former Vice-Presi-dent, Francis Minah, have been sentenced to death for plotting to overthrow Sierra Leone’s President, Joseph Momoh, last March. The other two accused were sentenced to jail terms. A fourmonth trial, followed the attempt on March 23 to overthrow the Government of former army chief Momoh, who took over from President Siaka Stevens in November 1985.—Freetown.

Piranhas devour girls Two young girls were eaten alive by piranhas while their father watched helplessly after their boat capsized in the Black Water lagoon, 450 km south of Iquitos, Peru. Gisella Torres Sahuana, aged six, and her sister, Magaly, 10, were travelling with their father, Silverio Torres, when the canoe turned over in an area of the lake infested with the man-eating fish. The piranhas turned their victims into skeletons within minutes, said Mr Torres, who escaped unharmed by swimming to the shore.—lquitos. Asylum sought A Russian ballet dancer has asked for asylum in the United States after defecting from the Moscow Ballet tour. Andrei Ustinov, aged 30, who was reported missing to Dallas police after a performance at the Southern Methodist University, is being kept at a secret federal safehouse where federal agents are questioning him, officials