European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 26, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page b c the stars and stripes sunday april 26, 1992 world russian Cabinet oks hike in Oil Gas prices from wire reports Moscow a the russian government faced with fuel shortages at the Start of the Spring planting season on Friday granted huge Price increases to Oil and Gas producers. The increases undoubtedly will be passed on to Consumers already reeling from galloping inflation which the government now estimates at 15 percent to 20 percent a month. The new prices designed to stimulate Oil and Gas production were approved by the Cabinet meeting in the Kremlin minus russian president Boris n.  part of uniform Bern Switzerland a Swiss army recruits must Wear their hair above the Collar but new regulations mean they wont necessarily have to Cut it off the defense ministry announced Friday. Beginning june 1, recruits sporting trendy ponytails will be spared the Barbers scissors As Long As they Wear a hairnets. All Swiss men Are required to do military service starting with 17 weeks Basic training at age 20 and regular refresher courses after  discovered Warsaw Poland a the wreckage of two French air planes that were part of a Mission to Airlift medical supplies to children was found in the sudeten mountains of Czechoslovakia near the Border the polish news Agency said Friday. All four members of the two Crews in the planes were killed in thursdays crashes which occurred in bad weather in the area of Sniadowska Gora the polish chief civil aviation inspectorate said. The Effort was part of a formation of 11 French Light planes that were transporting Medicine syringes artificial blood and other supplies for children in Belarus Romania and Poland Tunnel Short of funds Paris a construction of the Channel Tunnel Between France and Britain will grind to a halt if Bankers done to approve a waiver extending credits the head of the firm building the Tunnel said Friday. Quot if we can to draw on funds my word the process stops a Alain Benard president of eur Tunnel a told reporters and analysts. Construction has already been halted once because of this. Technically eur Tunnel is in default on its Bank Loans but says it has preliminary waivers that keep construction under Way. It also says it has sufficient funds to meet All obligations before the Tunnel is scheduled to open next  avowed Pyongyang North Korea a tens of thousands of soldiers on saturday Goose stepped to martial music and hundreds of tanks and sophisticated weaponry rolled through the capital As leaders vowed to defend one of the worlds last communist systems. Officials and diplomats say the Celebration was also to Mark the steady Rise to Power of Kim Jong 11, the son of North koreans absolute dictator Kim 11 Sung the younger Kim was Given the rank of marshal last week after his appointment last december As supreme commander of the armed forces. Gasoline spill blamed for sewer line blasts Guadalajara Mexico a the new head of Guadalajara a sewer system said Friday that a gasoline spill appeared to have caused the massive sewer line explosions that killed at least 176 people. A gasoline apparently is the origin of the problem a Jose Luis Macias said in a recorded Telephone message left on his office answering machine. It gave no other details. All Petroleum products in Mexico Are handled by Lemex the state Oil company. Immediately after wednesdays explosions Lemex issued  saying the blasts were caused by the leak of an explosive Industrial solvent at la Central cooking Oil factory. La Central has denied it was responsible. Lemex employees found a Leaky pipeline leading to a storage Plant in the City on thursday and were checking for More leaks. If the investigation determines that Lemex is to blame High level Federal and state officials could be fired. Residents of Guadalajara a Reforma District were up in arms Over the governments failure to respond to their complaints of Gas leaks before the explosion. The ceremony honors world s tallest Man London apr a pakistani civil servant with the worlds largest size 23 feet is the worlds tallest Man the guinness Book of records said Friday. Mohammad Alam Channa who is 7 feet 6v2 inches received his official tallest Man certificate from guinness publisher Norris Mcwhirter at a measuring ceremony in London. Quot i do not mind people staring at me but there Are times when i wish i could blend into the crowd a said Channa a 39-year-old religious shrine worker from Seahwan Sharif. Gawker gathered at London a Piccadilly circus As Channa Shook hands with passengers on the top level of an open double Decker bus. A i have had some offers to make films in America but i am still considering what to do. 1 am very Happy with my life and my family a Channa said. He and his 5-foot-9-Inch wife have an 18-month-old son whose height was not released. Channas specially built House has 15-foot ceilings and a 10-foot bed guinness said. The front passenger seat of his car has been removed so he can stretch his legs from the Back seat while being driven. The world s previous tallest Man was parimal Chandra Barman 27. The 8-foot-3-Inch Man died recently near his Home in Dacca Bangladesh a guinness spokeswoman said. Government has promised a prompt investigation. President Carlos Salinas de Gortari ordered attorney general Ignacio Morales Lechuga to pinpoint blame for the disaster by today and investigators questioned officials through the night and into the Early hours Friday. Guadalajara mayor Enrique Dau Flores and Macias predecessor Gualberto Limon announced thursday night they would step Down temporarily. In the ruined District civilians and soldiers wearing face masks against dust and possible infection stood shoulder to shoulder passing plastic buckets of debris out of the ruins. Heavy equipment scooped rubble into trucks. Bulldozers Tore Down Walls that the explosions had knocked into crazy angles and smoothed out roads that were ripped apart by the blasts so other equipment could get to demolished buildings. Residents carrying shopping bags with possessions retrieved from the wreckage darted Between the heavy machinery which raised Clouds of dust. The states governor estimated damage at $300 million. J Mohammad Alam Channa makes friends Friday Wii upper deck passengers on a London bus. 2 Saddam opponents Are poisoned London apr two opponents of iraqi Leader Saddam Hussein Are being treated for thallium poisoning officials at London a Guys Hospital said Friday. Opposition and rights officials said it appeared the two had been poisoned by iraqi Security agents. Hospital spokespersons said Abdallah Abdelatif and Abdel Karim Al Mas Diwi former iraqi military officials were a stable and in Good spirits although physically weak a after arriving in Britain on thursday for tests. The London based Campaign for a free Iraq said in a statement that thallium is often used by iraqi Security forces to slowly kill Saddam a opponents. A those men Are Lucky to be Here a said an Irac physician or. Mohammed Alrub Eai. He describe thallium As a a Standard method for the poisoning c  or. Najid Alyas Siri of the iraqi opposition com Mittee told British broadcasting corp. Television tha the men were a leading members of the iraqi opposition they have been targeted by Saddam Hussein Security agents for quite some time because they hav been involved in anti Saddam activities a 2 More German unions vote to join walkout monday cd Ali i Idt / a in i a i a _ a. A Frankfurt Germany a rail and Public service unions voted saturday to join hundreds of thousands of Public workers who plan to walk off their jobs on monday to demand More pay. The strikes by 2.8 million workers in Western Germany would Idle trains close schools and leave garbage uncollected. Some postal workers already Are on strike. The strikes will affect Only Western Germany since workers in Eastern Germany have separate contracts. The walkouts would be the first Public sector strikes in the West since 1974. The unions began taking strike votes on Friday after the government refused to accept a mediators proposal of a 5.4 percent wage increase plus a $300 Bonus. The unions demand a 9,5 percent pay raise and a $330 Bonus. A citizens will have to take into account that As of monday nothing will be running in Many sectors a said Monika Wulf Mathies chairwoman of the Public service and transport workers Union. The Union which represents 500,000 workers voted saturday to strike As did the rail workers Union. The Public service Union includes transit garbage and school workers and some Hospital employees. Possible strikes also loom in the Wes German Metal and construction Indus tries. Union leaders have said the strike would begin on wednesday the Day after a no strike agreement expires unless there is Progress in talks. Employers Las offered a 3.3 percent pay increase fax below the unions demand of at least \ percent