European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 11, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 a the stars and stripes thursday july 11, 1991 . To Cut military by 20 percent London apr citing the collapse of the soviet led Warsaw pact Britain on tuesday announced a 20 percent Cut in its defense forces Over three years. The cuts reflect an annual 6 percent reduction in defense spending and Are deeper than those proposed before the persian Gulf War. Defense spending this year will total $38.88 billion. A this recognizes the quantum change that has occurred in the european scene with the collapse of the soviet led Warsaw pact Quot defense minister Tom King said. The most drastic Cut would trim the army from 147,000 troops to 116,000, in world Stead of the 120,000 proposed shortly before Iraq invaded Kuwait on aug. 2. That will mean disbanding or merging some of Britain a elite regiments including according to published reports the household cavalry that provides escorts for Queen Elizabeth ii on state occasions. King who is allowing military commanders to Wrangle Over which regiments will go said the final decisions will be announced soon. The number of Royal air Force personnel will shrink from 89,000 to about 75,000 and the Royal Navy from 63,000 to about 55,000. Also Cut will be three of the air Force s 11 squadrons of Tornado fighter bomb ers which played a major role in bombing iraqi airfields. British forces deployed in Germany will fall from 55,000 to a 23,000-Strong Mobile Force. A King said the British cuts were in line with a nato decision last Spring to slash forces from 830,000 to 625,000, including a planned rapid1 reaction corps to be commanded by Britain and based in Germany. Britain which spends 4 percent of its Gross Domestic product on defense has ranked among the top spenders in nato after the United states. King facing protests from the military said the Overall 20 percent reduction in personnel was less than a 25 percent Cut announced by the United states and a 30 percent reduction by Germany. The announcement stipulated that Britain will not Cut its nuclear Arsenal Wahidi is being updated with submarine launched Trident missiles that will Cost $14.4 billion. Defense officials said Britain a Overall persian Gulf War expenditure was about $3.56 billion but about $3.24 billion is being recouped from other countries mainly Kuwait saudi Arabia United Arab emirates Germany and  could Send torrent of debris Down Pinatubo Quot from wire reports Manila Philippines a rain brought by a tropical depression Cut across the Central Philippines wednesday triggering floods and threatening to unleash volcanic debris Down the slopes of the erupting mount Pinatubo Volcano. Volcanology its warned residents at River Banks in towns near the Mountain 60 Miles North of Manila to prepare to evacuate if the rain worsens. Weather forecasters said the tropical depression slammed into the Coconut producing so Sogon province swirled just South of the capital and blew out into the South China sea by evening. Intermittent downpours flooded Low lying areas of the capital but weather experts said scattered rain could trigger mudflows a Ash Sand and boulders deposited on the slopes of mount Pinatubo since it erupted june 9 after a 611-year  chief in new zealand Wellington new zealand a the first . Cabinet member to visit new zealand in seven years said wednesday that his tour was a positive step in the relationship Between the two countries. Edward j. Derwinski Secretary of veterans affairs said his visit is mainly to discuss upcoming celebrations for the 50th anniversary of world War ii Battles in the South Pacific. No . Cabinet members have come to new zealand since then Secretary of state George Shultz visited Wellington in july 1984.poles beating High duties Warsaw Poland a resourceful entrepreneurs in Poland a booming used car business have come up with a new Way to increase profits importing the cars in pieces to avoid High taxes. At one crossing on the polish German Border 21 of the 78 vehicles imported july 1 were dismantled and the proportion was about the same the next Day the polish news Agency Pap reported. The vehicles Are reassembled for Sale on the used car Market which has boomed since the opening of Poland a Borders with the West. Once largely limited to Eastern european models poles can now select from a Quot wide Range of in corps offered for Sale at new Roadside car  sicken care givers Perth Australia a poisonous fumes seeped from the body of a Man who swallowed pesticide tablets sickening several Hospital staffers and forcing the evacuation of emergency rooms at two hospitals. The unidentified Man swallowed four tablets containing Pho toxin an Industrial strength Pes Cule used by Farmers to kill Weevils in wheat silos. He was found in suburban Perth Early tuesday. Collapsed but still alive and died two hours later. Billy Graham opens seminar praises new soviet freedoms Moscow apr american evangelist Billy Graham praised the soviet unions growing religious Freedom As he opened a conference tuesday for 5,000 christians in Moscow. Unlike the United states he said the soviet Union now allows bibles to be distributed in schools. Graham 73, on his fifth visit to Moscow also praised the country s recent efforts to transform its state run Economy. A a free Market Economy is much More in keeping with the teachings of the Bible than communism a he said. Graham made the remarks after giving the opening address of the four Day conference aimed at teaching budding soviet evangelists a most of them baptists a the finer Points of sermonizing and saving souls. In addition to grahams speech the opening session featured Rock of Ages and other american Hynons Sung in russian. Later the soviets attended seminars by foreign theologians and evangelists including grahams son and daughter. The audience listened aptly to the evangelist with his deep baritone voice As he spoke of a spiritual renewal in a land where christians were once persecuted. He urged soviets to a love one another to resolve widespread ethnic conflicts. Rev. Gregori Ivanovich Komendant chairman of the Union of evangelical Christian baptists said the soviet Union already has Many evangelists but they Lack the Bible thumping style of preaching practice in the West. A Many of us were persecuted in the past so we preached mostly in Homes and in churches a said Komendant whose organization was the conferences primary soviet sponsor. A it was unthinkable to preach in stadiums before Large  reforms under president Mikhail s. Gorbachev have abolished Many restrictions on religion and allowed so % Quot a 4 w . Evangelist Billy Graham left and the Rev. Gregori Ivanovich. Komendant Lead a prayer tuesday at Moscow s Lenin stadium. Viets to proselytize said Komendant. The evangelist conference a is like a new push to their spiritual lives a he said. Komendant said his organization represents More than 200,000 Baptist christians in the soviet Union. The conferences other soviet sponsors include the seventh Day adventist and pentecostal churches each of which has less than 100,000 soviet me tiers according to Keston College in Birmingham England which closely monitors soviet religious affairs. The soviet unions largest religious group is the russian orthodox Church with 40 million to 60 million members according to Keston College. The county also has roughly 50 million islamic people most of whom consider themselves muslims to some degree As Well As 10 million catholics. Queen christens new Wing at London a National gallery London apr Queen Elizabeth ii said tuesday that years of argument Over the design of a new we ing for the National gallery in the heart of London had been a Good thing for the nation. �?o1 believe it to be a credit to this country and to the reputation of the National gallery that the design of this Extension should have become such a burning Issue Quot the Queen said when she opened the gallery a Sainsbury Wing designed by . Architect Robert Venturi. A it shows How these Days we cherish our National institutions and the centers of our great cities a the Monarch said on her visit to Britain Sart museum overlooking Trafalgar Square. The new Wing extending the gallery on its w est Side is named after the three Sainsbury Brothers who donated 35.5 million pounds $57 million from their grocery store Fortune to build it. The National gallery had been seeking extra space since 1930, until the Sainsbury stepped in it had the Money to expand despite the governments Gitt in 1958 of a vacant lot beside it. The lot was once occupied by a furniture depository that had been bombed in 1940 during world War ii. The Queen diplomatically did not mention that her heir Prince Charles started the juror in 1984 by discarding a modernist design for an office Block on the site with a top floor reserved for the National gallery the Prince described the design As a a monstrous Carbuncle on the face of a much loved and elegant  his statement led to heated arguments about modern architecture that still rumbles on