Cable Briefs (Press, 3 June 1980)

Japanese Prime Minister Masayoshi Ohira, aged 70, has been admitted to hospital due to heart trouble exacerbated by fatigue. Doctors reported that he is suffering from angina pectoris and will require hospital treatment for at least another week, although they anticipate no deterioration in his condition. In Iran, a woman previously spared execution for drug smuggling has been executed after an Islamic judge determined she was maintaining contact with other smugglers while in prison. She was the only defendant among 21 in a drug trial last month to receive a life sentence over the firing squad, alongside another smuggler who was executed for multiple charges, including sodomy. Tehran's primary racecourse, which had been temporarily used as a facility for 3,000 drug addicts, is set to revert back to horse racing activities. Ayatollah Sadeq Khalkhali ordered the shift during a visit, stating that drug addicts would be moved to prisons, and that the racecourse must uphold Islamic values. A tragic incident near Bombay resulted in the recovery of 41 bodies from the ruins of a collapsed four-storey building in Mumbra, with fears that many more individuals may still be trapped beneath the debris. In Zimbabwe, an increasing number of white residents are contemplating leaving the newly independent nation despite government reassurances regarding their safety and future. The political climate has led to a backlog of furniture in warehouses as individuals await permission to relocate to South Africa, contributing to a shortage of storage space. In Nigeria, the External Affairs Minister, Abubakar Usman, was reported dead along with 16 others after a Nigerian Air Force plane crashed into the sea shortly after take-off from Lagos. Initial investigations indicate that bad weather was a likely cause of the accident, which involved a twin-engine Fokker 27 aircraft. In London, British police are probing a recent bombing at the Kuwait Oil Company office, suspecting a possible connection to a foiled bomb attack at the Kuwait tourist office in Paris. While the London explosion caused significant damage, no injuries were reported. A bomb found in Paris was successfully defused. Authorities are currently unaware of who might be responsible for either incident. Lastly, Dr Kenneth Heaton, a gallstone specialist from Bristol Royal Infirmary, has reported a concerning link between the contraceptive pill and an increased risk of developing gallstones. Women who take the pill are said to have double the risk compared to the average woman, with female sex hormones contributing to this heightened vulnerability.

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