Cable briefs

Press, 14 February 1989, Page 10

Cable briefs

Camel smugglers Smugglers tried to sneak 197 camels and thousands of sheep out of Iraq last year to pay for luxury imports like videeo recorders and four-wheel-drive vehicles. The official Iraqi news agency said the animals were among goods seized in 1988 by customs officials who also confiscated large amounts of foreign currency and precious metals. — Bagdad. Dog doped? Britain’s prestigious Cruft’s dog show has been hit by allegations of dogdoping. Britain’s Kennel Club is investigating an alleged case of dog-doping at the show at Earl’s Court, London. A show judge told a Leicester man to take his dog to the vet after it started swaying in the ring. An investigation was ordered. —London. Studio fire A Tokyo film studio known for its sizzling pornographic movies was badly damaged by fire when a model dragon being used in an advertisement started spitting real flames. One person was killed and 17 injured in the blaze.— Tokyo. Geldof honoured The Irish pop star and famine relief fundraiser, Bob Geldof, is set to follow in the footsteps of Pope John Paul, President Kennedy and Nelson Mandela by being offered the freedom of the city of

Dublin. City councillors plan to swallow their pride and grant the honour to the forthright fundraiser who, at a civic function in the Lord Mayor’s residence in 1985, described Dublin as "increasingly brutalised” and “a shambolic mess.” Geldof, a Dubliner, has already received an honorary knighthood from the Queen for his Live Aid fund-raising concert for African famine victims.— Dublin. All-Irish

The internationally acclaimed Irish rock group, U2, officially became an all-Irish band when the British-born bass guitarist, Adam Clayton, was granted Irish citizenship.—Dublin. ‘Trial’ wanted A group led by reformminded Soviet intellectuals has called for a public "trial” of the late Kremlin dictator Josef Stalin and demanded the release of detained Armenian activists. The founding congress of the Memorial movement, which proclaims itself a watchdog against oppression, depicted the arrest of the Armenians as an example of present-day repression. — Moscow. Catholic killed Two gunmen on a motorbike shot dead a Catholic man in the centre of Belfast in what appeared to be a sectarian attack. Police said the man, the sixth to be killed in Northern Ireland this was shot near

Smithfield Market, scene of numerous sectarian killings in the past. Police said the dead man had no connection with British security forces.—Belfast. A.1.D.5.-fear case

An injured London firefighter who rescued an HIV-positive victim from the Kings Cross fire 14 months ago is planning to sue over his fear of having contracted A.I.D.S. His legal action against the London Underground is one of two test cases to face the transport group as a result of the tragedy in which 31 people died. The other involves the widow of firefighter, Colin Townsley, who died leading the rescue of trapped passengers.—London. P.O.W. release Iran is to release 260 wounded Iraqi prisoners of war in a unilateral gesture to mark the 10th anniversary of its Islamic Revolution, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati said.— Madrid. Charges rejected The UJS. Government has rejected charges that it had been insensitive to the anguish of relatives who lost loved ones in December’s bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. “We continue to try to do everything we can for the families... We’re in touch with them, we’re trying to respond to their requests, we know how much they’re suffering,” a State Department spokesman told a news conference.—