Page 4-Thursday,May 20, 1982-The Michigan Daily
Begin survives
no-confidence
test by one vote
From AP and UPI
JERUSALEM- Prime Minister
Menachem Begin survived a no-
confidence motion by one vote yester-
day, defeating the most dangerous
parliamentary challenge to his gover-
nment since his election five years ago.
"This is the beginning of the end of
Shimon Peres' career," Begin, 68, said
scornfully of the Labor Party chairman
who engineered the challenge, savoring
his victory on a 58-57 vote with three ab-
stentions.
THE DEFEAT of the no-confidence
test was the seventh in the 10 months of
Begin's second term and possibly the
toughest because of two surprise defec-
tions from his ruling Likud bloc
Tuesday that deprived him of a
majority in the 120-member Knesset.
But the two-man independent
TELEM faction abstained, and a third
abstention in the opposition nailed down
Begin's triumph.
Begin hopes to restore his majority of
61 in the 120-member Knesset by
drawing TELEM into his coalition.
Most political analysts expect him to
call an election in a few months, even
though his term runs until November
1985.
THE BASIS for the no-confidence
motion-a 10.7 percent surge of in-
flation in April-was almost obscured
by the rancor generated by the defec-
tion of Amnon Linn and Yitzhak Peretz
to Labor.
Finance Minister Yoram Aridor
called the defection "a dirty trick."
Begin charged that Labor had lured
them out of Likud with promises of
cushy political posts.
"Manipulations, floor-crossings and
haggling will not change the voters'
wish," stormed Begin. "The gover-
nment will not fall today, but Shimon
Peres has fallen far far down."
THE LATEST defections changed the
Labor-Likud balance in Parliament
from 48-48 to 50-46 in Labor's favor on
thieve of the debate, setting the stage
for a parliamentary cliffhanger.
Analysts had predicted a tie, which is
technically still a victory for the gover-
nment, but Begin mustered his forces in
backroom lobbying for the triumph he
confidently forecast.
Begin received his edge when,
unknown to most in the chamber,
Hanan Porat split from the other two
members of his far right-wing Tehiya
Party and abstained to save the gover-
nment from an embarrassing tie.
Porat, a militant ultra-nationalist,,
explained afterward that he did not
want to cause the fall of a government
which was doing more than Labor
would for the expansion of Jewish set-
tlement in the occupied territories.
In Brief
Compiled from Associated Press and
United Press International reports.
Iraqi offensive reported
BEIRUT, Lebanon- Iraq claimed it mounted an offensive yesterday
against Iranian foces outside the embattled port of Khorramshahr, but Iran
claimed the troops were pushed back after five hours.
The Iraqi communique said 685 Iranian troops were killed and 18 tanks
destroyed north of Khorramshahr yesterday. It conceded the deaths of 25
Iraqis and destruction of six of its tanks during the same period.
Iran claimed its forces killed 100 Iraqi troops and destroyed 3 tanks in
Wednesday's fighting. An Iranian communique from the official Islamic
Republic News Agency said six Iraqi jet fighters had been shot down since
Tuesday-all in theKhorramshahr area.
Iran and Iraq are battling for control of Khorramshahr, Iran's once
bustling port on the Shatt-Al-Arab waterway. Iraq, demanding full
sovereignty to the waterway, its only access to the Persian Gulf, invaded
Iran on Sept. 22, 1980.
Polish interns on hunger strike
NOWY DWOR MAZOWIECKI, Poland- Solidarity militant Jan Rulewski
was brought into court in handcuffs yesterday after five months in prison
and defiantly told the judge that he and 16 other internees are on a hunger
strike to protest martial law.
He was in court on charges of leaving the scene of an accident in which a
man was killed by an automobile in March 1981. Polie allege Rulewski
drove the car, but Rulewski said he was innocent.
Rulewski had been free pending his trial on the traffic charge, but was in-
terned along with other Solidarity leaders when martial law was imposed
Dec. 13.
The 38-year-old union leader from Bydgoszcz, regarded as one of the most
radical leaders in the independent union, said he and other inmates of
Bialoleka prison started their hunger strike May 13, five months after mar-
tial law was declared and Solidarity was suspended.
Baby born with two-inch tail
BOSTON- The rare birth of a baby with a 2-inch-long tail is a vivid exam-
ple of man's place in evolution, a doctor says.
The 7-pound baby was transferred to Children's Hospital Medical Center
in Boston shortly after birth, and doctors removed the slender, tapered
growth.
Dr. Fred Ledley described the otherwise normal child, who was not iden-
tified, in a recent issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The baby's
sex, birthplace and date of birth were not disclosed.
He said the "well-formed caudal appendage" was on the child's lower
back near the end of the spine. He said it "was covered by skin of normal tex-
ture and had a soft, fibrous consistency." It had hair and nerves but no bone
or cartilage.
Although such cases have been reported throughout history, Ledley said,
few have been documented in the latter part of this century.
Ledley wrote that the tail "represents a striking clinical confrontation
with the reality of evolution."
He said humans diverged from their most closely related tail-bearing
primates 25 million years ago but that human genes still contain the infor-
mation necessary for tail formation.
Violence marks Indian elections
NEW DELHI, India-Bombings, boycotts and allegations of fraud plagued
India's local elections yesterday as about 36 million voters cast ballots in
what observers called a test of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's popularity.
A boy was killed by a bomb blast and several other people were wounded
in other election violence. Police said they jailed more than 200 extremists
on election eve.
A turnout of more than 65 percent of 55 million qualified voters - 8 percent
of the population - was recorded in daylong balloting for four new state
legislatures, 15 vacant legislature seats in other states and seven
Parliament vacancies. First results were expected sometime today.
Ina test of Mrs. Gandhi's strength since she returned to office in 1980, can-
didates of her Congress Party ran in nearly every race, asking citizens to vote
for them by marking the drawing of an open palm - the party's emblem -
printed on the ballot. Use of such identifying symbols on ballots is vital in
this land where at least 60 percent of the population cannot read.
Britain poised for invasion
LONDON- Britain appeared to reject Argentina's last-chance bid for a
peaceful end to the Falklands crisis last night, and a British task force was
reported poised for an attempt to recapture the South Atlantic archipelago
seized by Argentine troops April 2.
The British fleet was poised in battle formation 90 miles off the Falklands
in the stormy South Atlantic. Thunderstorms and gusty winds were forecast.
Fleet commanders tensely awaited the code word from Mrs. Thatcher that
would set the invation in motion.
"The Royal Navy task force is now making the final preparations for an
invasion," Times of London reporter John Witherow radioed from the air-
craft carrier HMS Invincible.
"Tomorrow or soon after that we could be in battle," radioed London Daily
Telegraph reporter A.J. McIlroy, also aboard Invincible.
In New York, Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar said his attempts
to mediate were in their "last hours." A British source said there was some
movement by Argentina but did not elaborate.
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Republicans reverse
Social Security plan
WASHINGTON (AP)- Senate on Social Security, chided Democratic
Democrats mixed barbed Leader Robert Byrd of West Virginia.
congratulations with cries of "foul" "We've run the Republicans off on
yesterday as Republicans formally the issue of Social Security cuts," ad-
stripped their budget of plans to save ded Sen. Donald Riegle (D-Mich.), like
$40 billion from Social Security over Byrd, a candidate for re-election this
three years. fall.
Pre-empted in their own attempt to At the same timle, Byrd and others
reverse the Social Security proposal, complained that Republicans reversed
Democrats also complained about a their field on Social Security and
"totally unacceptable" $115.3 billion restored $3 billion in election-year cuts
deficit in the new GOP plan and called for Medicare, guaranteed student
anew for a change in the 10 percent per- loans, housing, veterans programs and
sonal income tax cut scheduled for July space without consulting Democrats.
1983 to reduce the deficit. Similar jockeying for position was
MAJORITY Republicans have underway in the House.
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"come around to our way of thinking"
Demogogues
demogoguiing
over budget proposals
WASHINGTON (AP) - When several Reagan - that includes $40 billion in
Senate Republicans suggested their Social Security system cuts.
Democratic colleagues were being Senate Finance Chairman Bob Dole,
"demagogues" on the Social Security (R-Kan.) entered the fray.
issue, a war of words erupted. It's still "I do not want to get into this
not clear who won. argument about who is a demagogue so
"Now we are demagogues, our frien- I went to the dictionary," Dole said."...
ds across the aisle say," said Minority I was surprised, looking in Webster's
Leader Robert C. Byrd, (D-W. Va.) He New International Dictionary of the
in turn accused Republicans of "all of English Language, Second Edition,
the demagoguery.". Unabridged. When I went to the
THE CROSS fire developed as the' definition, it says, "See Democrat."
Senate's work on a defense bill became "WAS NOT the word "democrat" in
ensnarled ina battle over a GOP budget lower case?",Byrd asked.
proposal - supported by President See DEMOGOGUES,JPage s1s
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