26 APRIL 1986, Page 4

PORTRAIT OF THE WEEK

The rumour that Colonel Gaddafi had fled Libya quickly proved false. He appeared on television and told Libyans: `Turn on the lights, dance in the streets . . . we have Allah on our side and Allah is stronger than America.' The street lights went on in Tripoli. In Beirut, three British hostages were murdered in retaliation for the American raid on Libya. Mr Kinnock and Mr Steel blamed Mrs Thatcher. A number of political commentators said her decision to allow the Americans to use British bases would lose her the next election. In America, however, there was strong support for the raid, appreciation of Britain's help and deep disenchantment with European allies such as France who instead of helping had criticised. Police- men were attacked in Oxford Street by demonstrators taking advantage of a CND protest against the raid. Twenty-one Lib- yans were deported from Britain. Western journalists were ordered to leave Libya. In Potsdam, Mr Gorbachev said he would still be prepared to meet Mr Reagan this year.

Colonel Gaddafi was said to have allowed the Russians to take the wreck of the F-111 shot down in the raid, but afterwards to have regretted not keeping it to put on show. A Jordanian, later found at a Lon- don hotel, was accused of trying to blow up an El Al flight from Heathrow to Tel Aviv with 400 people on board by placing a bomb in the luggage of Miss Murphy, his pregnant Irish girlfriend.

THE Queen celebrated her sixtieth birth- day in Windsor and London. King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain arrived on a state visit to Britain. The Scilly Isles and the Netherlands signed a treaty to end the state of war existing between them since 1651. In the Philippines, President Aquino offered a ceasefire to the Com- munist rebels, but in a battle just after- wards 17 government soldiers and 23 rebels were killed. 'I shall interpret this kindly to mean that the message of peace has not filtered down to all combatants,' Mrs Aquino said. The body of ten-year-old

Sarah Harper was found in the River Trent, bearing signs of sexual attack, 24 days after she had disappeared on a visit to the corner shop to buy bread. The Hone Secretary, Mr Hurd, considered releasing many non-violent offenders because prison officers had voted to take 'industrial ac- tion'. In Northern Ireland, a policeman was murdered, it was thought by a Repub- lican terrorist, and loyalists continued to riot. In New York, a man who beat his girlfriend with her pet iguana and tried to make her eat it was sent to jail for aggravated assault and cruelty to an anini; al. M. Marcel Dassault, the French aircraft manufacturer, died aged 94. England 1st lil the last Test against the West Indies, ke the previous nine, and the London, Marathon was won by Toshihiko Seko or Japan. The author of a book of non- alcoholic cocktails was charged with fraud. It was reported that scientists, revising their dismissive view of the human aPPen

. dix now think it may play a valuable p/USart Gin preventing intestine troubles.