PORTRAIT OF THE WEEK
Euro-fission song contest The Soviet government was condemned in the West for keeping information about the Chernobyl nuclear power station disas- ter to itself, when it had failed to keep to itself the resulting radioactivity. It re- sponded by announcing some new details: the condition of 18 of the 204 people taken to hospital was grave; 49,000 people had been evacuated from the immediate vicin- ity of the power station, but only after 36 hours had elapsed; the station was still leaking radioactivity despite having sand, lead and boron dropped on it. Almost 100 British students returned from Kiev and Minsk, and were assured by experts that the radioactivity found on them was not dangerous. Experts also said the radioac- tivity detected in, for example, Britain and Japan, was safe. From Kiev came unoffi- cial reports of radiation sickness. Mrs Thatcher flew to Japan by way of South Korea, to attend the seven-nation econo- mic summit. Despite massive efforts by the Japanese authorities, rockets were fired in the general direction of President Reagan and 16 incendiary devices went off at underground stations. Nobody was hurt. The leaders condemned governments which sponsored terrorism, singling out Libya for blame. Two bombs, probably planted by Tamils, killed 35 people in Colombo. Babrak Karma!, the Afghan leader, was replaced by Dr Najibullah, formerly head of the secret police. The United States' space programme suffered its third major failure this year, when an un- manned Delta rocket went out of control just after take-off and had to be blown up. The Princess of Wales fainted in Vancouver.
IN THE course of disturbances in 18 of 134 prisons in the United Kingdom, accom- modation for 841 prisoners was destroyed. The Prison Officers' Association sus- pended its overtime ban, in return for the lifting of the disciplinary suspension of some of its members. The worst violence yet took place outside the News Interna- tional plant at Wapping: 175 police and 150 demonstrators were injured. The Labour Party's education spokesman, a wykhar9" 1st, said a Labour government would ab01- ish fee-paying education within the of one parliament. Rothmans announce°, the closure of a factory near Belfast Witt' the loss of 793 jobs. A woman was m1°' dered in north Belfast. Lord Shin well w.as reported by his son to be dying. British scientists were reported to be questionio. g their belief that rabies cannot be transin!t: ted by bats, because a Finnish biologist died of rabies having only, he said, be°13 bitten by bats. Joe Johnson, a 150-1 outsic1- er from Bradford, beat Steve Davis to 01: the world snooker championship, b1:1„ Andy Holden lost the Belfast marathon, 11,' which he had established a winning leao, because the official car he was follow'fig twice took wrong turns. FOS°
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