European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 10, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 the stars and stripes tuesday september 10, 1985 Austria seizes Beer tainted by disinfectant Vienna a authorities last Fri Day impounded austrian Beer that had been doctored with a toxic chemical that can cause serious liver and kidney prob lems the health ministry reported Mon Day. The chemical brom Arctic acid is used As a disinfectant for Beer and Crape juice tanks but it is forbidden to add the sub stance to Beer or juice to make them less perishable. Word of the Beer tainting incident came in the Wake of an International wine scandal in which austrian and other wines were found contaminated with it Ethyl inc glycol a chemical that can cause serious health problems. If ingested Over a period said Georg Lindner of the health ministry the acid represents at any rate a High health endangering  the substance was found in Beer produced by a lower austrian brewery in a concentration of 10 milligrams per liter. Lindner said. He would not divulge the name of the producer saying All the bottled Beer had been seized whether it was determined to be minted or not. He explained that if the Beer is stored for some time the acid decomposes and is not dangerous the same is tree if the Beer is not drunk Over a  however officials said longtime con sumption of Beer containing 0.7 to 3.j milligrams of brom Arctic acid is regarded As a serious health  Lindner said this has been the Only Beer doctoring Case so far although samples were taken from a majority of All breweries in Austria. These tests were All  Thatcher letter urges Reagan to give contract to British firm world today by the new York times prime minister Margaret Thatcher of Britain has appealed to president Reagan to award a mull billion Dol car military contract to a British company rather than its French rival saying that Britain is a More reliable ally of the United states than France is British officials con firmed sunday. This contract which is Worth some $4.5 billion is to Supply 25 divisions of the army with a new Mobile Bat Clef iced communications system. The order which officials say is to be placed soon will be the largest Purchase of foreign military equipment the defense department has Ever made. Rival British and French electronics companies each in partnership with a major . Electronics manufacturer arc the Only bidders Able to Supply the advanced Battlefield radio systems. No comparable .-designed communications equipment exists. In a letter to Reagan a week ago the sources said Thatcher asked the president to award the contract to pc secy the big British electronics company which has joined forces with Collins radio division of Rockwell International corp. Of Pittsburgh on the British designed Ptarmigan communications system. The Ptarmigan system has been in service with the British 1st army div in Germany since last Spring. According to the sources Thatcher stressed that Brit Ain has been a More Loyal and reliable ally than France in particular by supporting Reagan s Star wars space defense research project. President Francois Mitterrand of France opposes that project. Competing against Plassey is France s slate owned electronics giant. Thomson which is attempting to sell second libel suit against time opened by Sharon in Israel Tel Aviv a former defense minister Ariel Sharon opened a second libel suit against time Magazine on sunday. Sharon was seeking damages of $250,000 for an article that claimed he discussed avenging the 1982 murder of lebanese president elect Bashir Gemayel with Gemayel s family two Days before the massacre of palestinians in the Sabra and shatilla refugee Camps in Beirut time said its feb. 21, 1983, Story wis based on a secret Annex of the report by a judicial inquiry into the massacre.  s lawyers in Israel told judge Dov Vinograd that the Case could not be heard again because last january s $50 million suit in the new York District court covered  claims anywhere. The new York jury found the time Story false and defamatory but it cleared the Magazine of actual malice and did not award Sharon damages. Vinograd set no Date for announcing his decision on time s motion for dismissal when he adjourned the ses Sion. The 1983 inquiry found Sharon negligent for failing to prevent the massacre which occurred in territory con trolled by the israeli army and forced him to resign from the defense ministry. He is now Commerce and Industry minister in a bipartisan government. Sharon s attorney. Dov Weisglass told the Tel Aviv District court that the libel action in Israel differed from the new York Case because the defendant is time s euro Pean subsidiary not the american Parent company. Time inc. The Pentagon a rival system called Rita an acronym for re scan inc Grcic Des transmissions automatic us. Rita has been in service with units of the French and belgian armies for two years. Both the British and French systems say they offer considerable improvements Over existing . Tactical communication systems. Both arc designed to be highly Mobile secure and resistant to damage. The French defense ministry and Thomson declined to comment sunday on Thatcher s Appeal to Reagan. But in recent months French and British officials said that Thomson appeared to be pulling ahead of Ples Scy in the Competition for the Pentagon order. The sources said Thomson s bid was 8 percent to 18 percent lower than pc secy a depending on various assumptions and the army considers Rita More tried and tested than Ptarmigan because it has been in service longer. However British officials say Plassey s Ptarmigan costs More because it is More advanced than Rita particularly in tic area of switching systems. Both Plassey and Thomson and their american part ners have already agreed to build about 70 percent of the radio systems they Are offering in the United states if they win the order. As a result american companies would get most of the work generated by the contract. The United states originally planned to award the radio contract in july. The rivals had submitted their final bids to the Pentagon last april. But British and French officials say that James r. Ambrose undersecretary of the army has sent the files to defense Secretary Casper Weinberger and that a final decision now appears imminent. Hardly spellbound four members of i jordanian student group appear unlink pressed by their tilt to the Bonn parliament where they listened to a budget debate. The Young sters Are on a two week tour of Germany. I Nobel prize winning biochemist killed in 4-car crash in England Beacon Hill England a professor Rodney Porter a biochemist who won the Nobel Price for medi Cine in 1972, was killed in a four car crash South of Lon Don police said. The 67-year-old professor died in the Armi of his wife Julia in the wreckage of their car on the a34 Highway at Beacon Hill South of Guildford Hampshire police said. Mrs. Porter was described As not seriously injured. A spokesman at Royal Hampshire Hospital in Winchester said she was released after treatment. Four others were badly Hurt in the crash police said. 2 injured when copter crashes into Venice Lagoon Venice Italy up a fire brigade helicopter crashed into the Venice Lagoon during a training exercise injuring the Pilot and the flight Engineer. The Accident happened a few Hundred Yards from Ven ice s Marco Polo Airport where the helicopter took off with two other fire brigade copters for a training flight. Police said an empty drum used to contain fire extinguishing liquid was Slung under the copter Ami came Loose swinging into the rear propeller Blades. The part of the Lagoon the copier fell into is Only about 10 feet deep and a larger helicopter arrived to hoist it out of the water. The Pilot of the crashed helicopter Lucio Dona and its flight Engineer Egidio Barban were treated in a Hospital for minor injuries and then released. Jet returns to English Airport after one of its engines fails London a a Twa Boeing 747 Jet in route from London to Copenhagen returned to Heathrow air port when one of its four engines failed officials said. Fire engines and ambulances lined the runway at the plane with 80 passengers on Board made a Safe Landing. The plane which had arrived earlier from Boston with 309 passengers on Board had just taken off when the onto left engine failed. Canadian Wing of Law approves new Constitution Toronto up the Canadian Wing of the United Auto workers representing 135,000 members hat approved a new Constitution marking the official birth of a Independent Canadian Union separate from the body to the United state i. Some 340 Delegate to the Union i founding convention stood to applaud what one Law official called a great Day for Canadian aut Worken. The 108 Canadian locals will continue to operate under the International Constitution with Legal ties to the is. Group until matters such As the Transfer of assets and bargaining rights Are made final Likely at the Law l International convention next May in California. Robert White 50, who spearheaded the move to Lead 135.000 members away from . Leadership a acclaimed president of the new Law Canada. Israeli woman has Sext plets All reported in Good health Tel Aviv a _ Sci Tuples born to a israeli 9mj" a reported to be in Good health their doctor told radio Israel. T1? 29 car a 1 woman gave birth after being treated " Fertility drugs for six months the radio said. The five boys and one girl weighed Between 13 ounces and 2,3 pounds each. A sep a reported that the couple Gili and Leor Shi nun had been trying unsuccessfully to have children for four years Iii father is an insurance agent and the Mother ii a special education teacher for hearing impaired children