European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 18, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Death toll in sunday August 18, 1991 the stars and stripes Page 9 Hong Kong apr the death toll in the sinking of an Oil Barge during a typhoon in the South China sea Rose to 15 on saturday after two More bodies were recovered officials reported. Police said a fishing boat spotted one of the two bodies identified Only As a caucasian male floating in the sea about 20 Miles East of Hong Kong 45 Miles from where the Barge capsized and Sank on thursday. They said the other victim was found by a Marine police boat near the coast. The search for the seven others missing continued for a third Day saturday but officials held out Little Hope of finding any of them alive. Four of the Crew world members in a decompression chamber attached to the Barge were believed to have perished when their air ran out Friday. The rest of nearly 200 workers aboard the vessel were rescued. Trevor c. Berry spokesman for the Hong Kong martime Rescue Center said Only one plane took off saturday to search coastal areas where survivors or their bodies May have been washed ashore by Strong winds and rough seas. Several merchant ships remained in the area where the weather was reported Calmer. A major air and sea search was suspended Friday. A the search is now being conducted with forlorn Hope and i must say Hope is 15 very forlorn that we will find any More survivors a said Berry. The Oil exploration Barge carrying 195 people capsized in typhoon Fred on thursday in the South China sea 65 Miles East of Hong Kong. Berry said 173 people including 11 americans were rescued. Fourteen people including the Barge superintendent Billy Young of Weatherford Texas were confirmed dead officials said. Berry said seven of the dead have been identified. The dead include four malaysians one filipino and one Mainland chinese. Several merchant ships remained in the area a Calmer weather returned. But there was no sign of the decompression chamber containing the four men who were undergoing decompression after working the new pipes when the typhoon roared in wednesday packing 75-Mph winds. Officials said the four were about two Days into a four Day ascent front the seabed when the typhoon struck. 1 Steve Macmillan of Toronto a diver on the Barge said his supervisors informed the four of the typhoon and maintained constant radio Contact with them. But All communications were severed when the Barge capsized. The four were identified As three britons and a new  hit Philippines leaving at least 7 dead from wire reports Manila Philippines a tornadoes struck villages in the Central and Southern Philippines leaving at least seven people dead and 15 others missing police and the red Cross said saturday. Police said a Tornado swept four villages in town Buk Dnon province 550 Miles South of Manila on Friday flattening houses uprooting Trees and leaving at least   of love targeted Palermo Sicily a the outraged mayor of Sicily a biggest City has declared War on amorous couples who have been using two Busy traffic tunnels to get a bit of privacy. The tunnels connect Monte Pellegrino the highest Point in the City with Mondello a nearby Beach resort on Sicily a North coast. Every night scores of cars their windows covered from the inside with newspapers to keep prying eyes Fabay can be found parked in the tunnels said mayor Domenico Lovasco. Lovasco said traffic wardens will enforce the statutes against unauthorized parking in a  sentence for drugs Kuala Bumpur Malaysia a 35-year-old australian Man was sentenced to death Friday for his 1985 arrest on a charge of heroin trafficking National news Agency reported. Michael Dennis Mcauliffee of Brisbane was arrested june 29, 1985, after authorities found him in Possession of 5 ounces of heroin at an Airport 180 Miles North of the capital Kuala Bumpur said the news Agency Bergama super dad dead at 69 Harare Zimbabwe a a traditional healer known As a super dad died while treating a patient leaving 25 wives and 145 children. Chin Ngozi muted Zamasha who was 69, died of a heart attack said officials at Chiping District Hospital in Southeast Zimbabwe. Muted Zamasha was one of Zimbabwe a Best known traditional healers often known As Witch doctors in the West. An Aerial View of the 46,000-Square-foot creation inspired by impressionist Painter Vincent Van  Van Gogh painting inspires Plant Nursery creation London apr a Young scottish Plant Nursery manager has reproduced Vincent Van Gogh a sunflowers using bedding plants for paint and a 46,000-Square-foot Patch of wheat Field for a Canvas. Andrew Scott a version of the 19th-Century dutch artists masterpiece was planted by 20 volunteers working for 10 Days in Early july mostly with donated materials. It required 250,000 plants and is Best seen from the air. It is also visible from satellites according to a news release. Scott a creation will be around for Only another week or so when the Field will be slowed under and returned to agricultural use. Until the 24-year-old Scott gets atrial photographs the location of the Field in Scotland remains a secret. A i flew Over it with a helicopter yesterday my first time in a helicopter and it looks Good a Scott said in a Telephone interview from Scotland. A a it a probably needing a Little while longer to Flower but it looks great As it  the original Sun Flowers was sold in 1987 at Christie a auction House for just under $40 million to a private collector. Van Gogh painted sunflowers a few months before his death in 1890 at age 37. He told his brother he hoped to sell the painting for 500 francs then worth1 about $125. Van Gogh was supported by his brother an Art dealer who said the Money came from sales of Van Gogh a paintings. When Van Gogh found stacks of his paintings under his brother a bed and realized his work Wasny to Selling he committed suicide. Unlike Van Gogh Scott does no to count on his Art to support him. A a in a a commercial bedding Plant grower. I grow bedding plants i sell bedding plants. This was really just a bit of fun a he said. A once you get too serious with the commercial Side of things you lose track of what you re doing. There be been no commercial gains from this at All which actually makes it  China hotels suffer from lagging tourism Beijing up a a continuing slump in tourism to China and a glut of hotel rooms has left nearly All the country a foreign funded hotels recording Low occupancy and posting huge losses a government newspaper reported saturday. The China daily quoting the National tourism administration said most of the country a 369 foreign funded or joint venture hotels Are running in the red except for those in the booming Southern coastal provinces of Fukien and Kiangtung. The English language newspaper said hotel occupancy rates in 1990 averaged Only 53 percent nationwide and accumulated losses among them totalled nearly $84 million. Major hotels usually strive for occupancy rates of 75 to 90 percent. A several hoteliers told China daily they were caught off guard by the number of joint venture hotels affected and the scale of their losses but admitted. That it was not without Good reasons a the newspaper reported. Tourism to China plummeted after the chinese army fired on pro democracy demonstrators in Beijing in june 1989 to crush six weeks of nationwide protests. The figures have recovered steadily but More slowly than officials had hoped for. At the same time a glut of hotel rooms has occurred because of the opening of dozens of new hotels in the past two years the result of an unregulated construction spree that began before 1989 and continued on Hopes of a tourism rebound. Some of the new hotels in Beijing Are virtually empty including. Facilities opened downtown by foreign chains like Holiday inn. The ramada Chain has already withdrawn from the deserted ramada inn in Beijing after less than a year of operation. The biggest Pool of red Ink was posted by an unidentified joint venture hotel in Shanghai whose losses total $17.5 million the newspaper said. The tourism administration said the major chains incurred the largest losses