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, 31 Oct 92 14:00:15 EST Message-ID: \SE A;TOP OF THE NEWS;WORLD \BY FROM WIRE DISPATCHES AND STAFF REPORTS S=NEW STORY Yeltsin pushes attack on hard-line lawmakers MOSCOW - President Boris Yeltsin yesterday denounced hard-line lawmakers who are threatening to force him out and roll back his economic reforms. He did not rule out imposing a state of emergency. It was Mr. Yeltsin's latest attack on hard-liners ahead of a Russian parliament session scheduled Dec. 1, a meeting he is fighting to delay until spring. Although political posturing and dire warnings have preceded previous legislative sessions, Russian lawmakers and media have been talking for the first time about a state of emergency - an ominous prospect barely 14 months since the failed Soviet coup. Russian newspapers have reported that Mr. Yeltsin's advisers are urging him to introduce presidential rule to prevent a showdown with opponents in parliament - the 1,060-member Congress of People's Deputies. It is dominated by former communists elected before the Soviet collapse. S=NEW STORY Bomb rattles address, but Major out of town LONDON - A hijacked taxi exploded last night near the 10 Downing Street home of Prime Minister John Major, causing minor damage and no injuries, police said. Mr. Major was in Huntington, 40 miles north of London, a spokeswoman said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, the 15th in the British capital since Oct. 7. The Irish Republican Army has claimed responsibility for the previous bombings. Two unidentified men hired the cab in north London and one of them pulled out a gun and ordered the driver to proceed to Whitehall, an avenue lined with government offices, said Cmdr. George Churchill-Coleman, head of the police anti-terrorist unit. S=NEW STORY De Klerk's amnesty backed by advisers CAPE TOWN, South Africa - A controversial plan to grant amnesty for political crimes committed under apartheid won approval yesterday to become law despite its defeat in Parliament and widespread opposition. The President's Council, a 60-member advisory body dominated by President Frederik de Klerk's governing National Party, endorsed the measure, permitting Mr. de Klerk to sign it into law. However, the council recommended changing the bill's most contentious provision, which permits disclosure of only the names of people granted amnesty. S=NEW STORY Liberian rebels shell Monrovia's airport MONROVIA, Liberia - Rebels shelled Monrovia's only working airport yesterday as a plane carrying members of a West African force landed, and the West Africans closed the facility to prepare to counterattack. No one was injured, but more than 100 soldiers rushed from the aircraft past 20 wounded troops waiting to be evacuated. U.S. Embassy officials asked the rebels and the West Africans to ensure the safety of five American nuns reportedly being held behind rebel lines, State Department spokesman Joseph Snyder said. S=NEW STORY Eskimos to receive one-fifth of Canada OTTAWA - The Canadian government yesterday signed an agreement that grants Eskimos political control over a vast area of the Arctic equal to one fifth of the Canadian territory. The accord will create a new territory called Nunavut - meaning "Our Land" in the native Inuktitut language - that covers 770,000 square miles of frozen Arctic tundra. It will have its own government and legislature. A land settlement to be ratified in a vote next week will give the 17,500 Eskimos who live there exclusive ownership of almost one fifth of Nunavut and sub-surface mineral rights to 14,000 square miles. S=NEW STORY More Haitians seen fleeing homeland PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - The U.S. Coast Guard said yesterday the number of Haitians fleeing in U.S-bound boats is rising, a phenomenon refugee groups attribute to the end of hurricane season and hopes for a new American government. The number of Haitians intercepted by the Coast Guard so far this month is 711, the highest monthly number by far since May, when President Bush ordered U.S. authorities to turn back refugees without determining whether they were fleeing political persecution. From June to September, the Coast Guard picked up 460 refugees, said Coast Guard spokesman Roger Wetherell. S=NEW STORY Miyazawa condemns underworld dealings TOKYO - Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa opened a new parliamentary session yesterday and immediately condemned alleged dealings between top politicians in his party and the Japanese underworld. "There have been accusations . . . about the relationship between politicians and organized crime, but it goes without saying that politicians should not become involved with such organizations," he said in his speech to parliament. Mr. Miyazawa's comments, which included another apology to the Japanese people, appeared to be an attempt to counter the erosion in support for his year-old administration. Though the prime minister has not been personally implicated, the latest scandal to shake his long-governing Liberal Democratic Party has aroused widespread disgust and outrage. S=NEW STORY Israel students urged to say no to spying JERUSALEM - A group of conscientious objectors urged high school seniors yesterday not to volunteer for army undercover units in the occupied territories. A right-wing member of parliament called the action "treason." The group, Yesh Gvul, Hebrew for "There's a Limit," handed out booklets urging the students not to volunteer for the covert work and said they would distribute the booklets outside schools throughout the country. Although army service in Israel is mandatory, service in paratrooper, commando, undercover and other special units is voluntary. S=NEW STORY Depo-Provera shunned by British women LONDON - Eight years after Depo-Provera was approved for sale in Britain, the injectable birth control drug is the choice of only 1 percent of women who use contraceptives. The drug, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday, prevents conception for three months, but can lead to menstrual irregularities, weight gain and depression. Family planning experts in Britain blame Depo-Provera's unpopularity on nationwide rumors that doctors had given it surreptitiously to poor, immigrant women. The rumors, which were never substantiated, peaked shortly after the drug was legalized in 1984. S=NEW STORY Fischer challenged by Judit Polgar BUDAPEST - The father of the world's top-ranked woman chess player said yesterday there are tentative plans for his 16-year-old daughter to play Bobby Fischer next year. He predicted she'll beat the 49-year-old American. Judit Polgar's father, Laszlo Polgar, confirmed to the Associated Press by telephone that negotiations were under way for the match, proposed for early next year in Monte Carlo. "I think Mr. Fischer is a top-notch player, but then so is my daughter," Mr. Polgar said. "Given their performances, I expect Judit to win." 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