Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.news From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Headline Article Date: Sat, 21 Nov 92 17:35:41 EST Message-ID: \SE A;TOP OF THE NEWS;WORLD \BY FROM WIRE DISPATCHES AND STAFF REPORTS S=NEW STORY It's auld lang syne at Subic Bay OLONGAPO, Philippines - Tens of thousands of residents of this port city sang "Auld Lang Syne" and waved red, white and blue banners Friday to bid farewell to the U.S. Navy, which leaves its base at Subic Bay next week. The closing Tuesday of the Navy's largest base in Asia marks the end of nearly 100 years of American military presence in the Philippines, which was a U.S. colony from 1898 to independence in 1946. In September 1991, the Philippine Senate rejected a new 10-year lease for Subic, and the government gave the Americans until the end of this year to leave. The government hopes to turn Subic into a commercial center. S=NEW STORY Timor rebel chief seized by Indonesia JAKARTA, Indonesia - Indonesian troops yesterday captured the leader of East Timor's rebel Fretilin movement, an armed forces spokesman said. "Xanana Gusmao was captured at 6 a.m. in (the East Timor capital of) Dili," he said in Jakarta without giving further details. In Dili, military authorities told reporters Xanana was captured by special forces troops near a military hospital in the Lahane village area in a western part of the city. The rebel chief, a shadowy figure, has long been regarded as a symbol of the resistance to Indonesian rule imposed on East Timor in 1976, a year after East Timor's Portuguese colonial rulers left. S=NEW STORY Suriname's Bouterse quits as army chief PARAMARIBO, Suriname - Former military dictator Gen. Desi Bouterse, who has dominated political life in this small South American nation for the past 12 years, resigned yesterday as army chief, army officials said. His departure came after a showdown with the civilian government of President Ronald Venetiaan, which has strong U.S. and Dutch support. The Netherlands is the former colonial ruler of Suriname. "Herewith I inform you that I quit all my functions in the army as of today," Gen. Bouterse said in a brief letter to the president. The general was one of South America's last military strongmen. Like Chile's Gen. Augusto Pinochet, he retained command of the army when he ended a dictatorship in favor of an elected civilian government last year. S=NEW STORY Bhutto vows to begin long 'train march' KARACHI, Pakistan - Opposition leader Benazir Bhutto will transform her "long march" on parliament into a crusade by train along the length of the country to the capital, a spokesman said yesterday. The "train march" is to begin next Wednesday from Karachi and travel much of the length of Pakistan to Rawalpindi, 11 miles from Islamabad, the starting point of Mrs. Bhutto's march to remove the government this week. "Since they have barricaded the city so we will embark on a long march train journey," Asghar Khan, spokesman of Bhutto's People's Democratic Alliance opposition coalition, said in Islamabad. S=NEW STORY Russian sub halt limited to Asia MOSCOW - An official told defense workers yesterday that Russia plans to stop making military submarines only in the Far East, not across all of Russia as President Boris Yeltsin indicated the day before, a news agency said. Deputy Prime Minister Valery Makharadze spoke during a visit to the country's largest submarine plant at Severodvinsk, near the northern Russian port city of Arkhangelsk, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported. Mr. Yeltsin announced during a speech to the South Korean parliament on Thursday that Russia would cut its submarine production in half and might stop output altogether within three years. S=NEW STORY Mandela seeks deadline for a new government JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - ANC President Nelson Mandela warned yesterday he would break all contacts with the government unless it sets a specific date to end white rule. Mr. Mandela, taking a hard line against President Frederik de Klerk in the wake of a military scandal, said African National Congress and government representatives would meet "very shortly" to discuss plans to install an interim, multiracial government. "If that is not resolved, there will be no further bilateral talks with the government," Mr. Mandela was quoted as saying by the East Cape News Agency. S=NEW STORY Ailing Ceausescu released by court BUCHAREST, Romania - A Romanian court yesterday decided to release on parole Nicu Ceausescu, son of the late Stalinist ruler Nicolae Ceausescu, because of his serious ill-health, court sources said. "Nicu Ceausescu has served more than half of his jail sentence. Under Romanian law he can now be released on parole," prosecutor Gabriel Zamfirescu told the court. Nicu Ceausescu, 41, was arrested at the height of Romania's December 1989 revolution, in connection with the killing by security forces of 91 persons in the central city of Sibiu, where he was regional Communist Party boss. S=NEW STORY Cuba is confident on ending embargo NEW YORK - Cuba said yesterday it expected to win adoption of a U.N. General Assembly resolution next week calling for the elimination of the long-standing United States economic embargo against Havana. "We hope that the draft resolution presented by Cuba will be supported by most members of the United Nations and expect it to be approved," Cuba's Ambassador Alcibiades Hidalgo Basulto told a news conference. Cuba raised the issue of the U.S. embargo at last year's Assembly session, but the item was deferred until this year. It is scheduled to come before the 179-nation Assembly next Tuesday. S=NEW STORY Bengal coast cleared as cyclone nears DHAKA, Bangladesh - Relief workers evacuated about 500,000 people yesterday from coastal villages likely to be hit by an approaching cyclone. The storm, expected to hit southeast Bangladesh later today, could be as strong as the April 1991 cyclone that killed about 131,000 people in the same region. Volunteers and rescue officials with megaphones moved from village to village urging people to leave. They were authorized to use force if needed, but the memory of last year's disaster was perhaps the best persuader. Late yesterday, the storm churned the Bay of Bengal 140 miles southwest of Chittagong, with 120 mph winds gusting up to 130 mph. In 1991, winds hit 145 mph. S=NEW STORY New damage found in Tibetan palace BEIJING - The discovery of more damage to Tibet's 1,300-year-old Potala Palace has added another year and $3.6 million to a renovation project, officials said yesterday. The white-and-maroon palace has 100,000 rooms stacked 13 stories high atop a hill overlooking Lhasa, the Tibetan capital. It was built in the seventh century as a pavilion and enlarged in the 17th century. It was once the home of Tibet's god-king, the Dalai Lama. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM