European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 31, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 b the stars and stripes Paris store defies Law opens sunday Paris apr the huge music retailer Virgin Mega store defied French Law forbidding sunday Selling opening its doors to tens of thousands of people strolling on the champs Elysses. The four floored department store faced a $9,615 Fine for each hour it stayed open but seemed More than Likely to offset the penalty through purchases by pleased shoppers. Sister shops in Bordeaux and Marseille also opened. All Are owned by Britain based Virgin stores. Quot sunday is the Only Day i can go out to buy records a said fatal Trad 30, a wait world or. A i think this is great. Its not disturbing at  he appeared to express the general sentiment of shoppers listening to test tracks on headphones flipping through compact discs tuning in to videos and just hanging out. Store officials reiterated their Calls to Premier Edith Cresson to promote music and culture by easing restrictions on sunday business. A we can never make enough room for music on sundays a said manager Jean Frangois desc Aux. The calculated nose thumbing at commercial Law highlighted the conflict be tween Large retailers and French customs enshrined in Law that View sunday As a Day of rest Leisure and worship. In France Only retailers whose predominant business is food and Medicine a grocers restaurateurs and pharmacists a Are generally allowed to freely operate on sundays. Others Are mostly limited to sunday Selling Only three weekends a year usually preceding Christmas. The Laws generally favor Small main Street businesses at the expense of larger ones. A Virgin Mega store and warehouse Type retailers such As Leroy Merlin and Ikea which sell Home improvement goods have been urging Cresson a government to change the taws. The Paris Virgin Mega store which opened in May 1990, estimates that it earns 20 percent of weekly earnings on the three sundays it is legally open a an estimated $384,000. Culture minister Jack Lang favors extended sunday Trade for enterprises like Virgin a to spread Art culture and consumption in a convivial  but proposed revisions allowing retailers of a cultural goods such As Virgin to open six sundays a year have been stalled at the Commerce ministry since May. Party endorses Marcos As presidential candidate from wire reports Manila Philippines a former first lady Imelda Marcos on monday was endorsed by her late husbands party As its candidate for president in May selections. Marcos avoided making a categorical announcement that she would run in the May 11 election but told about 300 members of the new society movement that a what the people ask me to do Imelda will  the delegates chanted a Imelda Imelda after unanimously approving resolutions declaring the widow of president Ferdinand Marcos As Leader of the party and its candidate to succeed president Corazon Aquino. Suitcase bomb detonated Stockholm Sweden a police detonated a suitcase bomb by Remote control in Stockholm scentral train station monday two hours after they received an Anonymous Telephone Call and evacuated the building. One bomb technician was injured by flying Glass when a robot threw the suitcase to the floor near the storage lockers where it was found said police spokesman Gilbert Nyberg. He said the Anonymous Telephone caller a swedish Man made no demands. King undergoes surgery Madrid Spain a King Juan Carlos underwent surgery monday to repair a knee torn up in a weekend skiing Accident and will remain hospitalized for three to five Days. A Hospital spokesman said the operation lasted 90 minutes and added that the Spanish monarchs recovery would be delicate and could Lake Between six and nine weeks. Rescue turns to tragedy Tokyo a a japanese yacht that had abandoned an Ocean race to search for a fallen crewman capsized in rough seas monday leaving four crewmen dead and four missing the maritime safety Agency reported. An official of the Mesa Japan a coast guard said one crewman was rescued by a patrol boat in the Pacific about 200 Miles Southwest of Tokyo. The yacht Marine marines 10th Crew member a its Only woman a had been transferred to the patrol boat earlier because of seasickness. The 39-foot Marine Marine was among nine japanese boats that left thursday from Kwaii to about 28 Miles Southwest of Tokyo for the Toyoko cup race of 1,334 Miles to Guam. Car bomb kills 30, hurts 120 in poor Muslim area of Beirut Beirut Lebanon apr a car bomb exploded on a crowded Street in a poor Muslim neighbourhood monday killing at least 30 people and wounding about 120 in the worst such attack in Lebanon in More than six years police said. The wounded included former prime minister Shafik Wazzan who was passing through the area in his bulletproof car. Police said Wazzan was hospitalized and later discharged. It was not Clear if he was a target of the attack. The bomb containing about 220 pounds of int destroyed buildings and caused fires near an intersection filled with fruit and vegetable vendors and shoppers. A 6-foot-deep Crater was left on Mamoun Street in the Basta District. It was the country a bloodiest car bombing since june 18, 1985, when a blast outside a popular ice Cream parlor in Lebanon a Northern port of Tripoli killed 60 people and wounded 110. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing the first since Early november and the fourth this year. Responsibility for such attacks in Beirut is Seldom claimed. The blast May have been intended to set Back government efforts to re establish control in Lebanon after 15 years of civil War said police sources speaking on condition of anonymity. It May also have been a protest of the syrian army presence in Beirut. The syrian army which has 40,000 soldiers in Lebanon maintains a Road checkpoint 200 Yards from the blast site. The explosion occurred one Block from Barracks where pro iranian shiite Muslim fundamentalists once held Western hostages. Car bombings became common during Lebanon a civil War which ended in october 1990 with the defeat of rebel Christian Gen. Michel Aoun. Authorities in Beirut listed the death toll As at least 30. Military magistrate nadim Tara Bieh said 60 people were treated and discharged at hospitals and 60 others remained hospitalized As a result of the 9 45 . Blast. Ready to honk in spirit of new year a flock of High stepping chinese geese keeps close guard Over a Large Ballantine whisky warehouse at Dumbarton near Glasgow Scotland. As the first line of defense at the world famous distillers scotch storage site the guard geese Are ready to honk an ear splitting alarm if looters happen to show  expects to become world s condom capital Kuala Bumpur Malaysia up a Malaysia is poised to become the worlds leading condom producer next year with an Eye on the growing demand for prophylactics in Eastern Europe and the United states manufacturers said monday. With the Market expanding in response to fears of the deadly aids virus manufacturers say they plan to expand production to 2.5 million condoms in 1992. If the goal is achieved Malaysia could control a significant portion of the global Market said Lim Beng Huat general manager of med Latex a leading manufacturer that produces 170 million condoms annually. Malaysians production is expected to reach 2 billion condoms in 1991, already making the country a Lead ing exporter of prophylactics. Lim added Malaysia has an advantage in attempting to become the worlds top producer Over Japan and South Korea because of its production of raw Latex. A most of the big manufacturers Are Likely to double their production due to the expected higher demand for the products worldwide especially in the u.s., Japan South Korea and Eastern Europe Quot Lim said indicating production in 1992 could reach 2.5 billion. A countries like Bulgaria Hungary and Yugoslavia in Eastern Europe and several republics in the former soviet Union Are opening their doors to Trade with us and have indicated Strong interest in importing our condoms Quot Lim said. A these countries will create a big vacuum in the condom