Cabled Briefs (Press, 16 February 1976)

Fairport Convention, a pioneering British folk rock band, has reportedly disbanded. The musicians from the last lineup plan to form two new groups, while the lead singer, Sandy Denny, intends to work on a solo album in London. In other news, a tragic incident occurred in the northern Portuguese town of Miranda do Douro on 14 February 1976, where a 10-year-old boy was killed and eight others injured following four explosions that devastated a printing shop. The shop had recently seen an eviction of Leftist workers, and authorities are investigating the nature of the blasts to determine if they were caused by bombs. The Soviet Union has released the third and final part of a lunar atlas dedicated to the far side of the moon. This publication, produced by the Shternberg Astronomical Institute, is described as the first of its kind to provide a detailed account of the side of the moon not visible from Earth, featuring around 200 photographs captured by the last three unmanned lunar probes. In Detroit, a 27-year-old man named Carmen Leo has been awarded USD 200,000 by a jury following a rear-end car collision which he claims transformed his sexual orientation. Leo stated that while the physical injury sustained was to his back, the psychological impact of the accident resulted in significant changes to his personality and sexual identity, leading him to separate from his wife and change his social habits. Additionally, five young French tourists, including the children of a French diplomat, were killed last month in an ambush perpetrated by guerrillas of the Polisario independence movement in the Spanish Sahara, as reported by Algerian authorities. Furthermore, a gathering of weapons experts, jurists, and military specialists from over 40 countries has come together to advocate for a ban on booby-traps in warfare. The International Red Cross Committee is pushing for limitations or complete abolition of booby-traps among various weapons. In recognition of the concerns surrounding teenage pregnancy, the family-planning organisation Zero Population Growth has labelled Valentine’s Day as “Love Carefully Day”. This initiative aims to raise awareness regarding responsible family planning. Lastly, the United States conducted an underground nuclear test, with a yield estimated between 200,000 and 500,000 tons of TNT. The U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration confirmed the test occurred at a Nevada site, noting that there were no radiation leaks and that the shockwave was perceptible about 100 miles away in Las Vegas. This was the second nuclear test conducted that week and the fifth announced in the year to date.

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