European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 27, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 b the stars and stripes party May look to new Delhi India a left leaderless by the death of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi the Congress party is Likely to turn to an old Gandhi family Friend to Lead it through elections next month newspapers said sunday. The reports indicated that 69-year-old . Narasimha Rao is Likely to be elect cd As interim president of the party that has led India for All but four years since Independence in 1947. A the chances of Rao. Are rated pretty High a the times of India newspaper reported. Other newspapers also said Rao was a Likely candidate after Gandhi s italian born widow Sonia declined a Congress offer to head the party. Congress party spokesman Pranab Mukic Rocc refused to comment on the reports but said the party a 18-member executive committee will meet wednesday to decide the Issue. Gandhi 46, was killed in a bomb attack last tuesday at an election rally near Madras the capital of the Southern state of tamil Nadu his death interrupted National elections that had started a Day earlier. Voting in the first round of the three stage elections was completed May 20 for 204 constituencies. Balloting for the remaining 303 constituencies has now been delayed until mid june. The party committee was supposed to meet saturday to elect a Leader but the meeting was delayed. The indecision pointed up the confusion in the  the simmering differences among party Bosses which had previously been kept Down by the Gandhi family. But Rao a Leader from the Southern state of Andora Pravesh appeared to be emerging As the consensus Leader the Indian express newspaper said. Sonia Gandhi 43,-had campaigned actively for her husband in his Armethi constituency but has shown scant political ambition. Their children 21-Ycar-old daughter Priyanka and 20-year-old son Rahul had also worked on the Campaign. On sunday Rahul collected the ashes of the slain Leader who was cremated in the capital on Friday. In keeping with hindu custom the ashes will be strewn in the faiths holy Rivers tuesday. The spot chosen is Sangam the Confluence of the Ganges Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati Rivers in the City of Allahabad where the Nehru family lived. Indian news reports said sunday the Central Bureau of investigation indians equivalent of the american Fri has taken Over the probe of the assassination. Preliminary investigations have found Gandhi was killed by a suicide bomber who had strapped plastic explosives around her Waist. She detonated them As she bowed to Greet Gandhi at least 17 other people including the Assassin died in the blast in  Village. Protesting for whales anti whaling demonstrators listen to a speaker in London a Trafalgar Square on saturday. The rally was held two Days before a meeting of the International whaling commission in Reykjavik Iceland. Japan Iceland and Norway Are seeking to resume commercial whaling after a five Vear ban. . Woman returns with soviet Craft Moscow apr the soviet space capsule carrying Britain a first astronaut and two cosmonauts landed softly sunday on the Steppes of the Central asian Republic of Kazakhstan the official Tass news Agency reported. The soyuz capsule descended by Parachute to a spot about 40 Miles Southeast of  in the Center of the Republic Tass said. The Tass report did not give any details about British astronaut Helen Sharman following her eight Day Mission to the orbiting Mir space station but a broadcast from London said the Landing went Well. A we Are very relieved i think now a said her father John Sharman in an interview with British sky broadcasting television from his Home in Sheffield. Returning to Earth with Sharman were soviet cosmonauts Viktor Afanasyeva and Musa Sanarov who were aboard the Mir for 175 Days. Sharman blasted off on May 18 with the replacement Crew Anatoly arise Barsky and Sergei Kri Kalev who will be aboard for five months. A a a a a a a a a a a a a v Sharman a 27-year-old chemist won the trip on the joint soviet British flight in a contest beating 13,000 other applicants in the Competition financed by the London based Moscow Nar tiny Bank. She trained for 17 months learning russian and preparing for various scientific experiments aboard the Mir. The flight was marred slightly by arts Barskyh a comments before the flight that a it s not a woman a business to Fly into space. More work can be done with a  a a a a a a through it All Sharman smiled and said the cosmonauts had Quot no arguments so far but politely took Issue with arts Barsky her commander. World ., thai troops stage Man Euver Siphon Thailand a thai and  Troops stormed a Beach in Southern Thailand on sunday in a Climax to the annual joint cobra Gold military exercises. As thai f-16 Jet fighters streaked overhead a Battal Ion size Landing team hit the Beach in the Southern province of Nakhson is thammarat. Cobra Gold 91,which began May 6, ends tuesday with an assessment of the exercise. Washington slashed the number of its troops in the Maneu vers this year citing persian Gulf commitments. The thai command said the United states sent Only 670 troops in contrast to several thousand in each of the Paf exercises. Of some 9,000 taking part this year 8,300 were thai. Cobra Gold �?T91 was staged largely in the provinces of Surat Thani and Nakhson is thammarat about 340 Miles South of bang Kok the National capital. Cobra Gold exercises have been held in Thailand since 1982 to increase combat readiness and effectiveness of both sides in Thailand. U.s., Laos resume Hunt for missing aircrews from wire reports Bangkok Thailand a an american lao Tian team has begun a second search for evidence of   listed As missing in Laos during the Vietnam War. The team left the laotian capital of Vientiane by helicopter saturday said Dean Cole a  Embassy official. He declined to say where they were searching or give Anadeta Isof the investigation. Ithe team is to search a grave site and Survey several locations where air Force planes crashed during the War the defense department said. The team will also investigate a situation in which  Officials believe laotians should have information about a missing american. Italian quake injures 30 Potenza Italy a an earthquake Shook the Southern italian City of Potenza on sunday causing panic several minor injuries and some damage police said. The quake registered 4.7 on the Richter scale. About 30 people were treated at the san Carlo Hospital in Potenza for injuries linked to the quake.  the injured had been hit by falling objects or shattered Glass. The City a mayor Rocco Sampogna ordered schools closed monday so officials could Check for any structural damage. Roh replaces ministers Seoul South Korea a president Roh Tae woo replaced four Cabinet ministers including the Justice minister on sunday in Hopes of defusing a political crisis. The opposition demanded that Roh retract the moves or face stronger Public opposition against what they called his a a repressive Rule. Mph appointed a hard liner As his new prime minister last week drawing Sharp criticism. Critics said two hard liners were named Cabinet ministers in sundays shake up indicating Roh would not acquiesce to widespread protests. Cocaine labs raided Bogota Colombia a police raided two cocaine laboratories saturday and destroyed nearly 7,000 pounds of the drug in Southern Colombia. The processing labs were discovered in Ai Jungle about 310 Miles South of Bogota said col. Angel Herrera commander of Laqueta state  blast injures 2 policemen in n. Ireland London up a a stolen Van packed with explosives exploded sunday in Northern Ireland wounding two police officers and damaging More than 100 Homes in a second Day of sectarian violence. I he weekend violence came As nationalist roman Catholic and pro British protestant political leaders prepared to resume talks this week in London  future of the violence torn province. Explosives in a Van went off Early sunday As police evacuated Homes in a protestant residential area of Cookstown 37 Miles West of Belfast following a warning to authorities a Royal Ulster constabulary spokesman said. Residents had to walk by the Van As they were led to safety. The blast Wou Deij two policemen slightly and 11 civilians were treated for Shock the spokesman said. Some 120 houses were damaged 20 severely As w Ell As nine vehicles. The bombing was part of resurgence of violence that has left five people dead in the last two weeks. On saturday a senior member of the Irish Republican army a political Wing was shot and killed by protestant gunmen and a Soldier was killed by a bomb that exploded at a Belfast army Bas e. The pro British Chi Ramil itary group the Ulster Freedom fighters said it crossed into Ireland to kill Eddie Fullerton in retaliation for an Ira attack last month. Fullerton was a senior member of the sinn fein the iras political Wing the killing of Fullerton was the first act of violence by protestant gunmen since they declared a cease fire nearly four weeks ago during British sponsored talks on the political future of Northern Ireland