
Chilean jailbreak planned for a year

   SANTIAGO, Jan. 1 (UPI) - Chilean police say (Wednesday) leftist
guerrillas planned for a year before carrying out a daring helicopter
jailbreak that freed four of their comrades. Police say the guerrillas
probably raised the money for the jailbreak - perhaps as much as $1
million - through armed robberies.
   
   


Mexican parties study alliance


   MEXICO CITY, Jan. 1 (UPI) _ Mexico's two largest opposition parties
say (Wednesday) they are studying the possibility of forming an alliance
to win political control from the ruling Institutional Revolutionary
Party. However, ideological differences between the two parties may
represent a stumbling block.
   
   


Police may question Irving, Williams

   IRVING, Texas, Jan. 1 (UPI) _ Dallas police may question Michael
Irvin and Erik Williams as soon as Thursday in connection with sexual
assault allegations made by a 23-year-old woman. The two spent New
Year's Day practicing with the Dallas Cowboys in preparation for
Sunday's playoff game against the Charlotte Panthers.
   
   


Ramos paints rosy picture for economy

   MANILA, Jan. 2 (UPI) - Philippine President Fidel Ramos is predicting
(Thursday) robust economic growth in the coming years, saying the
country is well on its way of becoming a major player in the
international community. However, the 68-year-old president largely
credited for introducing economic reforms, says there is a need to
further spread current gains the country is experiencing.
   
   


Philippine leader calls for support

   MANILA, Jan. 2 (UPI) - President Fidel Ramos is calling (Thursday) on
all Filipinos to guard against complacency and rally behind the
government's efforts to strengthen peace and order across the
Philippines in the new year. Ramos notes the Philippines managed to
leap-frog in 1996 to become Asia's newest tiger economy because of
growing political stability in the once tumultuous archipelago.
   
   


22 injured in Jersey City bus crash

   JERSEY CITY, N.J., Jan. 1 (UPI) - At least 22 bus passengers in
Jersey City sustained minor injuries (Wednesday) after a driver lost
control of his vehicle and crashed into the side of a building.
Authorities say the driver careened off the road after being assaulted
by an unidentified man.
   
   


Chinese feel reform jitters

   BEIJING, Jan. 2 (UPI) - A Chinese government survey reveals
(Thursday) urban dwellers still support economic reforms despite
increasing uncertainty about incomes and affordable housing. The
biannual State Commission for Economic Restructuring poll finds more
than 70 percent of respondents were optimistic about the future and 68
percent were confident growth would continue in 1997.
   
   


Philippine extremists behead official

   ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines, Jan. 2 (UPI) - Members of a Muslim
extremist group in the southern Philippines have beheaded a town
official on New Year's Day, after his family failed to pay ransom money.
A military spokesman says government troops are hunting (Thursday) Abu
Sayyaf guerrillas for the killing of Usman Ambiral, who was abducted New
Year's Eve after negotiating for the release of another hostage.
   
   


Five missing in S.Korea shipwreck

   SEOUL, Jan. 2 (UPI) _ South Korean maritime police are (Thursday)
searching the wreckage of a Thai cargo ship for five missing crewmen
after high winds blew it onto rocks and almost ripped it in half. Divers
supported by police helicopters have rescued 24 but bitter winter
conditions are hampering efforts to find the missing men, three of whom
are believed to be still aboard.
   
   


S.Korea unionists vow to reopen strike

   SEOUL, Jan. 2 (UPI) _ South Korea's second largest group of unions
says (Thursday) it call on some 90,000 auto and metal workers to reopen
strikes aimed at pressing the government to revoke recent labor law
reforms. The Korea Confederation of Trade Unions says it will ask
members to resume strikes Friday and increase participation to 200,000
workers including hospitals and broadcasters over the next week.
   
   


Farm vehicles dwarf Chinese car sales

   BEIJING, Jan. 2 (UPI) - The demand for low-priced farm vehicles in
China's countryside is dwarfing car purchases in prospering cities.
Although auto experts expect lackluster purchases of Chinese-produced
cars will rebound this year, a survey shows (Thursday) sales of farm
vehicles have soared 80 percent since 1983.
   
   


Support for Thai anti-drug force

   BANGKOK, Jan. 2 (UPI) - Thailand's new interior minister says
(Thursday) he favors setting up a special police anti-drug taskforce
empowered to search any building or person without a warrant. Sanoh
Thienthong, who took office as the kingdom's highest law enforcement
official last month, says giving police extra power is necessary because
of the threat posed by illegal drugs.
   

   


Triads blamed for two S. China blasts

   HONG KONG, Jan. 2 (UPI) - Organized crime syndicates are suspected
(Thursday) in two back-to-back New Year's Day explosions in the southern
Chinese city of Zhuhai. The blasts occurred about 20 minutes apart at
the Casablanca Disco, a nightclub popular with businessmen and visitors
from Hong Kong and Macau.
   
   


Japanese find 31 of Russian ship's crew

   TOKYO, Jan. 2 (UPI) - Japanese maritime authorities say (Thursday) 31
of 32 crewmembers of a Russian-registered oil tanker were found adrift
in life boats in the Sea of Japan after a leak in their vessel forced
them to abandon ship. An official from the Maritime Safety Agency
officials says the 13,157-ton Nakhodka reported the accident to the
agency at about 2:50 a.m. Thursday.
   
   


Peace talks push for resolution

   JERUSALEM, Jan. 2 (UPI) - Israeli Defense Minister Yitzhak Mordechai
is slated (Thursday) to update Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on
progress made during his marathon meeting with Palestinian negotiator
Abu Mazen last night. Peace talks delegates from both sides say they
expect a meeting between Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat
during the day to reach a final agreement on an Israeli military pull-
out from sections of the West Bank city of Hebron.
   
   


Physicist predicts better codes

   WASHINGTON, Jan. 2 (UPI) - A British physicist says the laws
governing subatomic particles can be used to make codes that turn to
garble if someone eavesdrops. In the journal Nature, Paul Townsend says
code crackers cannot listen in on these messages without altering
subatomic conditions, thus alerting the intended audience that security
has been breached.
   
   


Saudis review government systems

   RIYADH, Jan. 2 (UPI) _ King Fahd of Saudi Arabia says (Thursday) he
plans to review the kingdom's system of government and the role of his
consultative councils. Diplomats in Riyadh say this could lead to giving
greater power to the councils.
   
   


HK man trapped in elevator for New Year

   HONG KONG, Jan. 2 (UPI) - A utility worker is recovering (Thursday)
after being trapped in an elevator in a Hong Kong office building for
most of New Year's Day. The electric company employee had been checking
electricity usage meters in a building when the elevator he was riding
in abruptly stopped.
   
   


Police may question Irving, Williams

   DALLAS. Jan. 2 (UPI) - Royce West, the attorney for Dallas Cowboys
wide receiver Michael Irvin, says they are tired of criminal allegations
flung at Irvin and teammate Erik Williams, who along with another man
have been accused of rape. Dallas police say that today they could be
contacting Irvin and the others for interviews.
   
   


900 Filipinos in jail in Malaysia

   MANILA, Jan. 2 (UPI) - Philippine foreign affairs officials reveal
(Thursday) some 900 Filipinos are languishing in jails in Malaysia for
various offenses, including drug-related crimes. The officials say the
government plans to fund a repatriation program to bring home 250 of
those jailed in Sabah and peninsular Malaysia this month.
   
   


Nigerian leader assures Filipino seamen

   MANILA, Jan. 2 (UPI) - Nigerian President Gen. Sani Abacha has given
his assurance of safety to all Filipinos in his country, after 10 seamen
from the Asian country were recently held hostage together with 19 other
foreigners by disgruntled Nigerian co-workers. The Foreign Affairs
Department says (Thursday) the victims were also given ``substantial
compensation'' after they were rescued last week.
   
   


Two bodies found in S.Korea shipwreck

   SEOUL, Jan. 2 (UPI) _ South Korean maritime police have (Thursday)
recovered two bodies from a Thai cargo ship almost cut in half after
high winds blew it on to rocks. Police say 24 of 29 crewmen have been
rescued and the search is still on for three missing crew despite high
winds and icy waters at the crash site 200 miles (320 kilometers)
southeast of Seoul.
   
   


S.A. police suspect right wing in bombing

   JOHANNESBURG, Jan. 2 (UPI) - South African police are (Thursday)
searching for three escaped right-wing bombers in connection with two
Christmas Eve bomb blasts that killed three children and an adult.
Police say the alleged white supremacists escaped from jail after being
convicted of taking part in a 1994 bombing spree, which failed to halt
South Africa's first all-race election.
   
   


Taiwan military warns of China threat

   TAIPEI, Jan. 2 (UPI) - Taiwanese defense officials are warning of an
increased threat from mainland China on the island and the region.
Military experts in Taiwan also say that widespread corruption on the
mainland was a disruptive force on the People's Liberation Army.
   
   


14 die as truck plunges from Thailand cliff

   BANGKOK, Jan. 2 (UPI) - At least 14 people, most of them children,
have been killed (Wednesday) when a pickup truck they were traveling in
plunged off a cliff near the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai.
Provincial officials say (Thursday) the accident happened when the
children were being driven to Chiang Mai to attend New Year's
celebrations.
   
   


Jewish shooter under investigation

   JERUSALEM, Jan. 2 (UPI) - Israel Radio says (Thursday) the Shabak
General Security Service is interrogating the soldier who fired on
Palestinians at a Hebron vegetable market Wednesday and is preventing
him from talking to a lawyer. Three attack victims are still receiving
treatment at a city hospital, of which one seriously wounded man is
reported in stable condition.
   
   


Jewish shooter under investigation

   JERUSALEM, Jan. 2 (UPI) - Israel's Shabak General Security Service is
investigating the religious Jewish soldier who opened fire on
Palestinians at a Hebron vegetable market Wednesday, wounding six. The
Shabak, Israel's equivalent of the FBI, issued an order denying Noam
Freedman, 19, access to legal counsel for 48 hours.
   
   


Burmese junta lashes out at enemies

   RANGOON, Jan. 2 (UPI) _ Burma's ruling military junta has blamed
communists, ethnic insurgents and U.S. meddling for recent unrest in the
country. A spokesman for the ruling State Law and Order Restoration
Council says (Thursday) the Communist Party of Burma, which carried out
a decades-long insurgency before it disintegrated in 1989, has been
making secret plans for a revival.
   
   


Ramos paints rosy picture for economy

   MANILA, Jan. 2 (UPI) - Philippine President Fidel Ramos is predicting
(Thursday) robust economic growth in the coming years, saying the
country is well on its way of becoming a major player in the
international community. However, the 68-year-old president largely
credited for introducing economic reforms, says there is a need to
further spread current gains the country is experiencing.
   
   


Japanese find 31 of Russian ship's crew

   TOKYO, Jan. 2 (UPI) _ Japanese maritime authorities say (Thursday) 31
of 32 crew of a Russian-registered oil tanker were found adrift in life
boats in the Sea of Japan after a leak in their vessel forced them to
abandon ship. An official from the Maritime Safety Agency officials says
the 13,157-ton Nakhodka reported the accident to the agency at about
2:50 a.m. Thursday.
   
   


S.Korea unionists vow to reopen strike

   SEOUL, Jan. 2 (UPI) _ South Korea's second largest group of unions
says (Thursday) it call on some 90,000 auto and metal workers to reopen
strikes aimed at pressing the government to revoke recent labor law
reforms. The Korea Confederation of Trade Unions says it will ask
members to resume strikes Friday and increase participation to 200,000
workers including hospitals and broadcasters over the next week.
   
   


Chinese feel reform jitters

   BEIJING, Jan. 2 (UPI) - A Chinese government survey reveals
(Thursday) urban dwellers still support economic reforms despite
increasing uncertainty about incomes and affordable housing. The
biannual State Commission for Economic Restructuring poll finds more
than 70 percent of respondents were optimistic about the future and 68
percent were confident growth would continue in 1997.
   
   


Farm vehicles dwarf Chinese car sales

   BEIJING, Jan. 2 (UPI) - The demand for low-priced farm vehicles in
China's countryside is dwarfing car purchases in prospering cities.
Although auto experts expect lackluster purchases of Chinese-produced
cars will rebound this year, a survey shows (Thursday) sales of farm
vehicles have soared 80 percent since 1983.
   
   


Police questioning Michael Irvin

   IRVING, Texas, Jan. 2 (UPI) _ Police plan to interview Dallas Cowboys
players Michael Irvin and Erik Williams (Thursday) regarding sexual
assault allegations against them. A 23-year-old woman says Irvin held a
gun on her Sunday night while Williams and a third man raped her at
Williams' home. No charges have been filed in the case.
   
   


Fst Amer buys Hartsville Bancshares

   NASHVILLE, Tenn., Jan. 2 (UPI) _ First American Corp. said Thursday
it has acquired Hartsville Bancshares for approximately $13.4 million.
Hartsville Bancshares has five branches in the greater Nashville
metropolitan area and operates under the name CommunityFIRST Bank.
   
   


Dole returns to Red Cross

   WASHINGTON, Jan. 2 (UPI) _ Elizabeth Dole is returning (Thursday) to
her job as president of the Red Cross after 14 months on the stump
helping her husband, Robert Dole, in his unsuccessful bid for the
presidency. The Red Cross allowed her to take a leave from her $200,000-
per-year post.
   
   


Weld facing term-limit questions

   BOSTON, Jan. 2 (UPI) - Massachusetts Gov. William Weld is promising
another round of tax cuts during the new legislative session, but
whether he'll reneg on his promise not to seek a third term is the
biggest topic of discussion in the state. Weld had vowed to serve only
two terms, but since he lost a bid to be elected to the U.S. Senate, he
has been dropping hints he might change his mind and run for governor
again in 1998.
   
   


Conservationists: cut water projects

   WASHINGTON, Jan. 2 (UPI) _ A coalition of almost 100 river
conservation groups is calling on President Clinton (Thursday) to use
his new line-item veto to stop some major water projects. The group
American Rivers wants Clinton to kill flood control projects in
Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi and Oklahoma.
   
   


Power de-reg fuels change in Mass

   BOSTON, Jan. 2 (UPI) - In what could be the wave of the future, the
Boston-based John Hancock Insurance Co. has agreed to buy its
electricity from a utility in Atlanta. The deal with Southern Energy Co.
is set to take effect next January, when Massachusetts officially de-
regulates its electric industry, giving consumers a choice of where to
buy their power.
   
   


Auto deaths dip in Mass.

   BOSTON, Jan. 2 (UPI) - The number of people killed on Massachusetts'
highways dropped significantly last year, defying predictions that
increasing the legal speed limit from 55 to 65 mph would trigger an
increase. Experts are crediting better enforcement and public education
for the decrease in traffic fatalities.
   
   


Egypt's Mubarak meets Sudan's al-Mahdi

   CAIRO, Jan. 2 (UPI) _ Sudanese opposition leader Sadiq al-Mahdi 
(``Sadiq al-Mahdi Sah-DEEK al-MAAR-dee'') has held talks (Thursday) with
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarek on the situation in Sudan. Officials in
the president's office say the two men issued no statement afterwards.
Al-Mahdi is on a tour to drum up opposition to Sudan's military
government.
   
   


Kiwi to resume scheduled flights

   NEWARK, N.J., Jan. 2 (UPI) _ Kiwi International Air Lines, which
stopped flying in October, says (Thursday) it will resume scheduled
flights on Jan. 20. Kiwi says fares in its main markets _ Newark,
Chicago, Atlanta and West Palm Beach, Fla. _ have risen a lot since it
stopped flying.
   
   


Canadian officer denies he abused female

(UPI Spotlight)
   QUEBEC, Jan. 2 (UPI) _ A Canadian military officer admits he
participated in the beating of the country's first female infantry
officer while she was tied to a tree, but denies she was abused. Captain
Michel Rainville told the French network Radio Canada Captain Sandra
Perron was ``captured'' with several other members of a training unit as
part of an exercise and all were treated equally.
   
   

GUPI News Grabber v3.0 - Registered to The Chalk Board

