Around The World

Greymouth Evening Star, 2 September 1949, Page 6

Around The World

Czech Passports' .... Reuter’s Prague ehfrespondent say» that all Czech, passports now being issued will- become invalid on November 30. The Ministry of the Interior says that a system of issuing only short-term passports hits been adopted. —London, September 1. •

Greek-Italian issues The settlement of all outstanding questions concerning the Dodecanese Islands, and the payment by Italy to Greece of £26,250,000 in reparations over the next five years are provided for in an Italian-Greek agreement signed here today. The agreement is designed to resolve, all the points at issue between the two countries m. relation to Greece's .peace treaty with Italy.—Rome. August 31.

New P. and O. Flagship . The Peninsular and Oriental Company’s new flagship, the Himalaya, of 28,000 tons, docked at Southampton today oh the completion Of her handmgover trials. Designed for a speed of 22 knots, the Himalaya exceeded 25 knots over a measured mile off the Aran islands, and logged a steady 24 knots during steaming trials. The Hmialaya was the biggest ship .launched in 1948 in the world. The chairman of the P. and O. Company (Sir William Currie) said the Himalaya was a notable addition to the British merchant navy.— London, September 1.

Winter Exercises In Alaska Canadian and United States troops will conduct joint winter training exercises in the Yukon and Alaska next January and February, according to an announcement by United States Army Headquarters. The exercises will be local and on a comparatively smah scale. They will continue the combined training programme carried out by the two countries during the last few years. The objective is to develop CanadianAmerican army and air force operations against a theoretical 'enemy m the far north.—Washington, August 31. Pakistan Seaport Development British and American firms have been asked to tender for a scheme estimated to cost £20,000,000, to enlarge and develop the capacity of the Pakistan port of Chittagong'. The Pakistan Government hopes to develop Chittagong so that it can handle up to 7,000.000 tons of cargo a year, or about 10 times its present . traffic. Plans are also being considered by the Pakistan Government, for enlarging and improving the port of Karachi. —London, September 1.

West German Envoys Germany’s first post-war envoys to Britain would be commercial representatives of the new Western German Government at Bonn, said a British official quoted by Reuter. The Western Allies hoped that these envoys would be sent to as many countries as would accept them soon after the Government was set up next morith. It was hoped that they would be supplemented by consular officers with t|ie rank of at least vice-consul in the main capitals within the next six or nine months. There would be no question of German embassies or legations from Bonn appearing overseas so long as the High Commissioners retained the right to direct Germany’s foreign affairs reserved to them by the Occupation Statute.—Berlin, September 1.

Professor J. D. Sernal Reuter says, that the British Association for the Advancement of Science has voted to postpone the nomination of Professor J. D. Bernal for membership in the association’s council. This action has been taken because of statements he is said to have made at a p'eace congress in Moscow last ’Friday. Professor Bernal, who was one of the scientific brains behind D-Day, is said to have hailed Mr Stalin as “the protector of science” and to have said that it was “not mass bombing that beat Germany but the heroic Red Army.” He is also reported to have said that in capitalist countries the direction of science was in the hands of those whose only aim was to destroy so that their own profits could be secured for some years longer.—London, September 1.

Deportation? Of Chinese Replying to Mr Calwell’s comments on the Chinese arrested for deportation, Mr A. Locke, secretary of the Chinese Seamen’s Union, said that only a few of the men concerned were deserters. Most had served in Allied ships during the war, and had received discharges in Australia. Others had worked in defence industries. During the war the Chinese seamen had asked only for the same pay and conditions as Australian seamen. This had been granted after long negotiations. Mr Locke added that Mr Calwell’s talk of slums and prostitutes was a slander on the Chinese community. The men lived in houses rented from Australian landlords, and passed by the health authorities. —Melbourne, September 1. Counter For Radiation

Scientists today reported that they had found a method to protect animals against atomic radiation. Announcing this, the Argonne National Laboratory at Chicago said: “These findings may provide important clues about radiation damage and its treatment.” It was found that 70 or 80 per cent, of mice and rats given usually fatal doses of radiation did not die if they had first been given cystine, which is an inexpensive amino-acid. Cystine is generally prepared from horse hair or wool. About 80 per cent, of the untreated animals were killed.—New York, August 30.