Cable Briefs (Press, 4 April 1989)

On 4 April 1989, significant events occurred in various parts of the world. In Tunisia, the government reported a substantial voter turnout for parliamentary elections, with the ruling Democratic Constitutional Union winning the first eight declared seats by large margins. The Interior Ministry noted that 85.9 per cent of eligible voters participated in the districts where the counting was completed. In the presidential election, where President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali ran unopposed, voter turnout was reported at 82 per cent in the initial electoral districts to send in complete results. In Japan, authorities seized a Japanese fish carrier called the No. 1 Yutaka Maru, which was found to be carrying 30 tonnes of whale meat. This meat was allegedly acquired from illegal whalers in Taiwan. The vessel, weighing 70 tonnes, was stopped on Sunday near Ishigaki-jima Island by a Japanese patrol boat on suspicion of importing whale products. In London, Mohammed al-Fayed, the Egyptian-born owner of Harrods, issued a defiant statement regarding ongoing public opposition to his ownership of the department store. He asserted that only God could take Harrods away from him, following a campaign led by Roland "Tiny" Rowland and his mining company, Lonhro, which sought to challenge the Fayed brothers’ takeover of the House of Fraser. India took precautionary measures against potential health risks by withdrawing several blood-based products from the market after some were found to contain the A.I.D.S. virus. The government urged anyone who had used these products in the last two years to get tested for A.I.D.S. Reports indicated that various items, including fresh frozen plasma and vaccines for rabies and tetanus, had tested positive for H.I.V. antibodies. In Beirut, a toxic cloud generated by a massive fire at an oil terminal was reported to be spreading and posed a threat to neighbouring countries, including Israel, Syria, and Cyprus. Israeli experts estimated that the cloud, resulting from the explosion of a million-litre butane tank, covered an area 20km long and 7km wide. The fallout from this cloud raised concerns about potential health risks, including lung and skin cancer. The Israeli Health Ministry and meteorological officials were closely monitoring the situation and preparing for the possibility of the toxic cloud reaching Israeli territory.

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