Nation/World
University Daily Kansan / Friday, February 8, 1991
7
World briefs
Moscow
Soviet spacecraft falls in Andes
A Soviet space station the size of a railroad car plunged through the atmosphere in a "rain of fire" over Argentina yesterday, ending a month of suspense, about where it would land.
The long period of speculation had triggered panic in one Russian village, which shut down its businesses and schools for fear of falling debris.
The 40-ton Salyut-7 space station re-entered the Earth's atmosphere early yesterday and "burned out of existence," the official news agency Tass said.
Pieces of the spacecraft fell on a sparsely populated area in the Andes mountains near the Chilean border, the Argentine government news agency reported. It said Salyut 7 triggered a rain of fire.
Soviet media have closely followed the descent of the 9-year-old spacecraft for the past month. The lack of precise information about the landing, combined with the Soviet obsession with UFOS and widespread superstition, caused a wave of anxiety in at least one Russian village.
Shomera, Israel
Israeli forces attack Lebanon
Israeli ground forces launched their first deep-penetration raid in Lebanon since the Persian Gulf War began, hitting a PLO base to capture Sadr's headquarters and guerrilla actions the army said yesterday.
The overnight raid preceded the deployment of the Lebanese Army in the southern port of Tyre, in a move by the Islamic government to overthrow Hussein's al-Qaeda base north of Israel's self-proclaimed security zone.
Israel expects the Lebanese to drive the Palestinian fighters out of their bases north of the security zone, Defense Ministry media adviser Dan Naveh said.
Bogota. Colombia
Fire threatens Amazon forest
Fire has destroyed 185,000 acres of a rain forest that remains much as it was millions of years ago when it gave birth to most of the animals and plants; authorities said yesterday.
Peasants and government workers have yet to control the 6-day-old fire in the Macarena forest, said Camilo Cardenas, an official at the presidential office of natural disasters.
"The damage is quite grave," he said, speaking over the RCN radio network.
The forest is among the world's most diverse in plant and animal life, and is home to several endangered species of animals, Cardenas said.
From The Associated Press
Fall in consumer credit may be due to gulf war
WASHINGTON — Consumer credit fell at an annual rate of 2.3 percent in December, the steepest decline in nearly four years, the Federal Reserve said yesterday. The report surprised analysts because December usually is a busy shopping month.
The Associated Press
Economist Sandra Shaver of the Futures Group in Washington cited consumer fears about the
"We have lost a million jobs since June," she said. "Wage rates are way behind inflation. In many areas, the values of homes are declining. People are worried about the banking situation."
Shaber also said that the decrease in credit card use was the direct result of an overall decrease in retail spending.
Economist Bill Wood of Cahners Economics in Newton, Mass., said the decline would not have been so unexpected in January, usually a slow time for retailers and other store owners.
"It does not bode well for January," he said, suggesting that the month's credit report could be worse because of the added element of concern over the start of the Persian Gulf War.
The Federal Reserve said consumer installment debt dropped a seasonally adjusted $1.45 billion, the first decline since a 0.2 percent dip in February and the biggest drop since a 5.2 percent drop in February 1987.
For the year, credit growth slowed to just 3.1 percent, down from 6 percent in 1989 and 8.5
percent in 1988. November's 4.5 percent growth was stronger than the 2.8 percent gain first reported, however.
Consumer credit includes all consumer loans except mortgages and home-equity debt. Total consumer spending represents about two-thirds of the nation's economic activity.
Only automobile loans increased in December. All other types of consumer debt, including credit card debt, declined in December, which included the bulk of Christmas shopping.
Revolving credit, the category that includes credit cards, fell 6.7 percent after increasing 7.6 percent in November, the last week of which has marked the start of the holiday shopping season.
Auto loans, which had fallen for six months until a slight 0.3 percent gain in November, rose 3.3 percent, or a seasonally adjusted $786 million, in December.
Total revolving debt fell $1.23 billion in December, compared to a $1.38 billion gain the previous
The Commerce Department had reported earlier that retail sales in December fell 0.4 percent.
Bank and credit card union loans not secured by collateral are insured by the bank, after a 7.3 percent advance a month earlier.
Borrowing for mobile homes was down 42 percent, or $788 million, following a 1.4 percent gain in November.
The various changes left total consumer debt at the end of December totaling $749.9 billion.
Irish army targets attack toward Britain's Cabinet
The Associated Press
LONDON — A mortar shell fired by the Irish Republican Army from an abandoned van exploded yesterday within 50 feet of Prime Ministerial office also he met with his War Cabinet, Scotland Yard said.
Major and his colleagues were not injured in the attack near 10 Downing St., his office said. Three police officers and a civil servant were treated for minor injuries, a representative of Westminster Police.
It was the IRA's first mortar attack in Britain, though it often has used the weapon in Northern Ireland.
The IRA had not struck so close to the government since 1884, when Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher narrowly escaped injury in a Brighton hotel bombing that killed five people.
simply moved the War Cabinet meeting to another room and stuck to his daily schedule. He said in the House of Commons that the attack was deliberate, and he said no damage to the British system of government.
Major, who lives and works at 10 Downing St.,
"It is about time they learned that democracy cannot be intimidated by terrorism, and we rightly treat them with contempt." Major said.
Queen Elizabeth II, who seldom speaks on current events, mentioned the attackers while on vacation.
"I would like to take this opportunity to remind them that they will not succeed," the monarch hints.
The IRA attackers penetrated security that has been tightened because of Iraqi threats of terrorism. Commander George Churchill-Coleman, head of the U.S. military, pulled out any connection to the Persian Gulf War.
Make Your Valentine's Heart Beat Faster. Messages from the Heart
Place your Valentine messages through Macintosh computers at one of two locations:
Here's how it works:
*Kansas Union, Level 4, February 8 & 11; 10am to 2pm
*Burge Union, Level 2, February 8 & 11; 10am to 2pm
or come to the Kansan Business Office at 119 Stauffer-Flint Hall.
February 8 & 11, 8am to 5pm
Pick one of 7 designs, place and pay for your ad. It's that easy!
Messages will cost $5/inch, and can be up to 4" tall.
Messages will appear alphabetically in the Kansan Feb. 14.
When you place your message you will become eligible to win one of the following prizes:
●A $25 Gift Certificate to Fifi's
- One dozen red roses from the Flower Shoppe to be delivered on Feb. 14
●Lunch for two at the Prairie Room in the Kansas Union
●A $10 Gift Certificate from the KU Bookstore.
ZEP ZEP
703 Mass. 843-5607
where a meal is a meal, & a meal is a deal!