A SUMMARY OF THE SITUATION

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 110, 3 February 1941, Page 8

A SUMMARY OF THE SITUATION

The scene of the heaviest battle in Africa for the moment lias shifted to Eritrea, where the British pressure in the heart of the country has intensified. The invaders are now close to the important railhead of Agordat, and that town’s road communication with Barentu, where the Italians are making their strongest stand under shellfire, is reported to have been severed. Heavier patrol action is also developing on the Kenya front. The Italians from Derna in Libya are believed to be defending west of the port a gully running inland from the sea. The British are said to have advanced on the sector farther inland. The Italian counter-attacks in Albania are described as not only a disastrous failure in themselves but as having greatly aided the Greeks in the capture of important enemy defence positions. There are persistent rumours that the Italians have evacuated Tepelene. Britain on Saturday had another night free from air raids. There was minor activity during daylight. London has now had 12 nights quiet out of 13. The French political movement in Paris, which, under German influence, has been for some time noisily campaigning against Petain’s lieutenants though avoiding direct attacks on the marshal himself, has now been elevated to the dignity of a party with a platform embracing ■'full collaboration” with Germany. With the signing of an armistice agreement between Thailand •md Tndo-China as a prelude to peace talks in Tokio, Japan’s role as mediator is claimed by Far Eastern correspondents to be not purely altruistic. It is thought that she may demand naval bases in south China and Thailand.