European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 08, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 the stars and stripes monday. January 8,1990 world today belgian inmate demands death not life in prison Brussels. Belgium a a Man sentenced to death for murdering a pensioner wants his penalty to be carried out and not automatically turned into life imprisonment As is Cus Tomary in Belgium. I am waiting impatiently for my execution Willy do conc 42, wrote in an open letter that appeared in several weekend newspapers. But his lawyer and Legal experts have said his request stands Little Chance. A similar request by another convict five years ago was not fulfilled. The last execution in Belgium was in 1950. Just after world War ii 242 people were sentenced to death and executed for treason an collaboration with the enemy. Do conc who has pleaded innocent to the1986 murder of a 71-year-old woman said that asking for mercy was Only for  hews convicted in december. 14 Hurt when tourist bus runs off French Highway comping be. France a a bus carrying British tourists Home from a ski Holiday in the French Alps crashed into a Highway ditch sunday in Northern France leaving 14 injured police said. No other vehicle was involved in the crash which apparently occurred because the Driver fell asleep on the Paris Lille superhighway near comic inc officers said. Most of those Hurt were treated for minor injuries and Able to continue Home to Bristol and Nottingham. Three remained hospitalized sunday. Death of elephant 47, arouses suspicion in India new Delhi. India a five workers at a hindu Temple in Southern India were suspended pending an inquiry into the death of the Temple s 47-year-old elephant according to news reports. The elephant Van Gopalan died after gangrene set in on lesions on his legs caused by beatings. Press Trust of India said. It quoted unidentified official sources As saying the elephant s handlers had hit him with heavy objects. Five Temple workers including the assistant administrator for livestock were suspended after veterinarians at the Kerala agriculture University at Trichur issued an autopsy report the news Agency said. Cricket Ball fatally hits australian teen in Chest Sydney Australia a a youth died after being hit in the Chest by a Cricket Ball during com petition saturday in Dubbo police said sunday. Michael Adam Lemon. 17, was hit by a Ball that bounced off the pitch while he was batting in a match Between two local teams. Dubbo is 250 Miles Northwest of Sydney. An autopsy was planned to determine the cause of death a police spokesman said. Lemon showed no initial signs of injury and Bent Down to pick up the Ball at his feet. He slumped to the ground shortly afterwards. The ambulance was called and he was taken to Dubbo base Hospital where he died a Short time later the police spokesman said. Philippe Chabin left and members of his family Welcome his adopted daughter Roxanna Center to France. 61 adopted romanian children Fly to France and new families Paris a a plan Load of 61 romanian Chil Dren whose adoptions by French parents had been blocked by dictator Nicolae Ceausescu s government landed saturday evening to a Joyful Welcome fro their new families. We arc in debt to the romanian people for win Ning Freedom for these children said Jacques Lull Ion of St. Nazairo in Western France. He waited More than three years for his adopted daughter. Marva. "1 would have liked a Little More intimacy with everything More discreet Lull Ion said in the tumult of reporters and television cameras covering the arrival at orly Airport. Philippe Chabin s daughter Roxanna opened pre sents from her new cousins after Rushing into the arms of her adopted father who had staged two hunger strikes to try to pressure the romanian government into letting her go. We will adopt other children Chabin said. But not in  a clone Orlhac Cabinet minister for family mat ters represented France s socialist government at the Airport Welcome. In the Early 1980s, demand Foi adoptive children in France outstripped Supply and hundreds of French parents sought and found children in Romania. Ceausescu s policies encouraging Large families. Combined with widespread shortages of food and other necessities produced Large numbers of children Avail Able for adoption. But in 1988, the romanian government halted any new adoption cases for foreign parents then in Jan uary 1989. It refused to allow the departure of 89 Chil Dren whose adoption procedures were Complete or nearly Complete. After Ceausescu was overthrown last month the French foreign ministry said that the romanian govern ment had engaged in veritable blackmail to obtain in Exchange for the children the resumption of political and economic relations which France had broken off because of human rights violations in  the new authorities in Romania abolished the ban on foreign adoptions and the French foreign ministry chartered a plane to Fly the adoptive parents to Bucha rest to pick up the children and return Home. Some children awaited by adoptive parents were Noton the plane. French officials said that authorities in some cases had not had time to Check Back with the romanian families to be sure they still wanted to give up their children for adoption. Many of the decisions were made two to four years ago. In other cases the children simply had not been sent to Bucharest from provincial orphanages in time to catch saturday s flight and would be brought to their French adoptive parents within Days the officials said. Soviets get to buy prize Vars after 5-Day uprising Moscow a would be buyers of japanese  recorders Laid siege for five Days and nights to stores inthe russian City of Yaroslavl in what a newspaper called a video  frustrated Consumers even went so far As to launch a hunger strike and Demon stration in the Center of town to demand the Panasonic Vars the government daily Sovic Skaya Rossiya said sunday. The video rebellion was the latest show of discontent among soviet con Sumers who struggling with worsening shortages of meat Medicine and other basics Are beginning to demand their share of the country s wealth. Sovic Skaya Rossiya said the disturbance began when word went out recently that imported Vars for workers who had earned foreign currency had Bee delivered to a store in Yaroslavl. The Industrial City is about 125 Miles North East of Moscow. Some 200 people immediately sur rounded the store and sat through the night demanding they be Given the Chance to buy the Vars As Well. Two other stores that also received shipments were similarly besieged. At Dawn on the fourth Day the angry residents launched a protest on the Central town Square. Eventually City authorities persuaded the workers who were to receive the Vars to share some of their spoils with the Public the newspaper said. But when the store at the Center of the turmoil did not immediately begin sell ing some of ils 158 Vars to All Comers the next Day a group of Cili ens declared a hunger strike. Finally after five Days of turmoil a Happy buyer walked out of the store wit the first Var called the local to station and declared Victory the Panasonic is in my hands Sovic Skaya Rossiya said that was the first time in Yaroslavl history that video cassette recorders were sold freely to the Public. Traditionally imported electronic goods have been quietly distributed Only to the party and government elite or sold on the Black Market where a Var can fetch As much As about $6,400. These Days under the Kremlin s eco nomic reforms factories that earn for eign currency arc generally allowed to decide for themselves How to spend it and frequently buy Western consume goods for their workers. Residents of the Central russian Cit of Sverdlovsk took their frustration to the streets in similar unrest on dec. 29, when a crowd upset by the shortage of Vodka gathered downtown and balled City transportation. Communist party officials soothed them and flooded the stores with Vodka