Around The World

Greymouth Evening Star, 9 November 1949, Page 8

Around The World

■Electric Trains Collide At least 12 persons were ,k lied ana 20 injured, some seriously, when two electric trains collided outside Madnd last night. A signals error is Relieved to have caused the accident. Madiict, November 8.

Pandit Nehru In London India’s Prime Minister ( Pandit Nehru) arrived in London today m President Truman’s private av \9Pla™j from his good-will visit to States. He refused to discuss his talk., with Aipcrican statesmen.— London, November 8.

West Europe Social Security The Foreign Ministers of the live Brussels Treaty p 9^ er ?""? rita , l ,d’ France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg—today signed an agreement linking their social security schemes into one comprehensive network.—Paris, November 7.

Election In Egyot Reuter’s Cadre correspondent says that King Farouk has issued a decree dissolving the Chamber of Deputies and summoning a new Chamber to meet on January 16. A general election is probable in the first week in January. —London, November 8.

Agreement To End Strike Jones and Laughlin, the fourth big; gest steel company in the United States, today signed an agreement with the United Steel Workers’ Union ending the strike at the company’s works. The agreement is the same as that signed with the Bethlehem Steel Corporation last week. It provides for pensions of 100 dollars a month for long-service workers. The agreement becomes effective immediately—New York, November 7.

Empire Games England will send five fencers —lour men and one woman—to the Empire Games in Auckland in 1950. Charles de Beaumont, secretary of the Amateur Fencing Association, will captain the team, and the other fencers will be Rene Paul, Gordon Pilbrow, R. J. D. Anderson, and Mrs Maiy Glen llalg. The Sporting Chronicle says.that James Halliday, holder of three British : weight-lifting championships, has been given leave to compete with the Engi lish weight-lifting team at the Empire j Games.—London, November 8.

Marshall Aid To Indonesia The immediate resumption of Marshall aid to Indonesia had been made possible by the successful round-table conference between the Netherlands and Indonesia, said the United States Economic Co-operation Administration today. Marshall aid was stopped by the United States immediately after Dutch military action in Indonesia last December, but it was announced two months ago that 37,000,000 dollars had keen reserved for Indonesia for the six months ending December 31, 1949. Allocations will be made to the Netherlands on behalf of Indonesia.—The Hague, November 8.

Paris Judges On Strike Fifteen French High Court judges went on strike today because their courtrooms were not heated. The youngest of the judges is 60. They adjourned their cases sine die. They threatened to strike in a discreet communication last week to the Minister of Justice <M. Rene Mayer). The High Court judges were annoyed to learn that the lower -courts in the same building had excellent central heating while they shivered. The Ministry of’ Justice says that the budget for heating the courts is almost exhausted because of a rise in coal prices.—Pans, November 7.

Inheritance Law Amendment The House of Commons yesterday decided by 180 voles to 47 that British heiresses ‘ would, no longer be barred from anticipating their income, if it was derived from trust funds. The Countess Mountbatten is one of the beneficiaries affected. She inherited £14,000,000 from her grandfather, Sir Ernest Cassel, but though her income bad fallen from £BO.OOO to £4500 a year, she was unable to use the capital or to borrow on her future income. The At-torney-General (Sir Hartley Shawcross) said the Bill would apply to thousands of women, not only to wealthy heiresses. He did not think the happiness of married women should be controlled by “a dead hand stretching out from the grave.”—London, November 8.

Russian Embassy Reception The Soviet Foreign Minister (Mr A. J Vyshinsky) shook hands with more, than 1000 guests at a reception at the Russian Embassy tonight celebrating the anniversary of the Russian Revolution. He later moved among the guests, engaging in pleasantries with diplomats and prominent Americans. In a talk with reporters, Mr Vyshinsky said: “The common feeling of friendship between Russia and the United States has fallen asleep, but some day it will awaken, and when that happens the enemies of freedom in the world will tremble." Mr Vyshinsky said that better Soviet-American relations would come when there was mutual respect for each nation according to its desire. No one country should hamper the other.—Washington, November 8. Disturbances In Colombia

The Bogota correspondent of the United Press says that the newspaper, El ' Liberal, claimed today that political rioting at one point in northern Colombia had reached the proportions of a pitched battle involving more than 1600 men. The newspaper said that 120 soldiers and 1000 armed supporters of the Conservative Party had besieged 500 provincial policemen and Liberal Party supporters in the village of Guaca. Other sources in Colombia, reported continuing unrest over the Presidential elections, scheduled, for November 27. The Liberal and Conservative leaders have made violent accusations against each other, and the situation, generally was tense. El Liberal said that about 100 persons' were fleeing each day across the borderinto Venezuela, to escape persecution in Colombia.—New York, November 7.

Australian Petrol Imports The Federal Government would not reduce the existing petrol import quotas because 9,000,000 gallons of petrol was being imported from France, said the Prime Minister (Mr Chifley) today. Commenting on a statement by Mr J. C. Duncan, associate director of Ampol, Ltd, that more petrol might be available from France, Mr Chifley said: “The Government will grant import licences for the importation of any petrol which does not involve the payment of dollars in respect of petrol, freight, or insurance.” Earlier, Mr Duncan said his company had been told that whatever petrol the company imported from non-dollar areas, it would not be added to the amount of petrol pegged by the Government foi- sale to the people. “This means that if we imported, say, 50,000,000 gallons it would not help the nubile one iota,” Mr Duncan added.—Canberra, November 8, Japanese Peace Treaty

"The most fervent wish of our nation is the conclusion of the Japanese peace treaty at the earliest possible date,” said the Prime Minister of Japan (Mr Shigeru Yoshida), in a policy speech to the Diet. Mr Yoshida said the question of atomic energy, which had recently come to the fore, was causing Japan deep concern over the future of her national security. He reminded the Diet that, under its new Constitution, Japan had solemnly declared herself an unarmed nation by voluntarily renouncingwar, abandoningall forms of-armaments, and relying on world -public opinion being wedded to peace. Mr Yoshida thanked the United States for its “benevolent assistance” which, with the efforts of the Japanese, had checked . inflation. “With our national economy being stabilised and normalised, we are entering the stage of real, positive recovery,” he added — Tokio, November 8.