PORTRAIT OF THE WEEK
Avery serious accident occurred in a Soviet nuclear power station at Chernobyl, north of Kiev. Only after increased radioactivity had been detected over a thousand miles away, in the Scandinavian countries, did Tass admit that the accident had occurred, and that there had been casualties. The Russians took the unpre- cedented step of asking foreign countries for technical help: they asked Sweden and West Germany how to put out a fire in a power station. American satellite pictures showed that the roof of the station had been blown off and that the fire was still raging. The official Russian figure of two deaths was treated by Western experts with extreme scepticism. The South African government announced that influx control, the system of laws which limit the free movement of blacks, would be abolished, but a concession which once would have seemed immense now looked inadequate, and blacks continued to perish in violence in black townships. President Reagan urged the Senate to reward the British Government's support for the raid on Libya by passing an extradition treaty which would prevent Irish terrorists from finding sanctuary in the United States. In County Fermanagh, troops shot dead Sea- mus McElwaine, an IRA man and a convicted murderer, while he was planting a bomb near to the border with the Irish Republic, and wounded his accomplice. A British businessman was shot dead in Lyons; a British pilgrim was shot dead in Jerusalem. Mrs Thatcher said 300 Libyan students would have to leave Britain, other EEC countries also expelled Libyans, and Libya expelled Britons and Italians. In Jakarta a man bit a dog to death.
THE Duchess of Windsor died, aged 89, in Paris. She had spent her last, unhappy years comatose in bed, being played Cole Porter tunes during brief spells of wakeful- ness, her doctors advising that this might stimulate her memory. Her body was flown to England and buried next to the Duke's, at Frogmore. The closure of the last three tin mines in Cornwall was announced. The Treasury claimed that six million people in Britain now own shares. The Prison Offi; cers' Association announced that it woulo step up 'industrial action' because the Home Office wants its members to work less overtime. At Gloucester Prison the Governor locked out the warders for refl.'s" mg to work new rosters, and 23 pri5011ers protested on the roof. The Government rejected all the bids to buy Land Rover, and awarded Harland and Wolff of Belfast, not Swan Hunter of Tyneside, the £19; million order to build the first of the ROY!, Navy's new support vessels. The se.11' professed Satanist Derry Mainwal. Knight was found guilty on 19 counts % obtaining money by deception. He 11.30 gulled rich Christians in Sussex into givot: him £219,000. Two Britons parachuted fo4; fun off the Empire State Building. TvIik, former England cricketers died, Jim Cr, the only man ever to take 19 wickets a Test match, and Bill Edrich. Lestet' Piggott announced, to great excitemeno' that he would come out of retirement t_ ride in the 2,000 Guineas, but the" changed his mind. AJS6
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