From: evansg@uproar.enet.dec.com (Gwyn Evans)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: VNS: Mon  4-Jan-1993
Date: 4 Jan 93 15:44:51 GMT
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation


<><><><><><><><>  T h e   V O G O N   N e w s   S e r v i c e  <><><><><><><><>

 Edition : 2738               Monday  4-Jan-1993            Circulation :  7333

        VNS MAIN NEWS .....................................   95 Lines

VNS MAIN NEWS:                                    [Tom Povey, VNS UK News Desk]
==============                                    [Reading, England           ]

     Here is the News at 07:00 GMT on Monday 4-January-1993
     ------------------------------------------------------

     UK News
     -------
     FT-SE = 2846.5
     Exchange Rate 1 UK pound = $ 1.5160 = Dm 2.4779
      = Yn 189.20 = SFr 2.2187 = FFr 8.3177 = A$ 2.1880

     Two men have been murdered in Northern Ireland leading to fears of
     terrorists increasing their attacks in the new year.

     A small survey of business leaders conducted a week before Christmas
     shows caution about economic recovery.

     The health secretary has called for an urgent review of Britains mental
     health laws with fears that many patients are living rough on the
     streets. This follows an incident at the weekend when a man was mauled by
     a lion after climbing into its enclosure at London Zoo.

     The Financial Times is printed on white paper today rather than its
     normal pink in celebration of its 100th birthday.

     European News
     -------------

     Direct talks between leaders of the warring factions in Bosnia continue
     in Geneva today with discussions of the proposal to split Bosnia into
     some 12 separate regions.

     With the advent of the single market last Friday, citizens of the EC have
     new rights and freedoms which include:

      o no customs declarations and duty on goods for personal use

      o purchases of wine, beer, spirits and tobacco are free of duty but
        there are "upper limits" set in each country.

      o the right to buy duty free remains but any price advantage is
        minimised.

      o shipment of personal goods is not subject to customs checks.

      o commercial freight no longer needs customs checks reducing time spent
        crossing borders (particularly significant for theUK at channel ports).

      o students, pensioners and those with a private income have a limited
        right of residence in other states.

      o hundreds of thousands of normal commercial items may be marketed
        freely across the EC.

      o life assurance may be sold across borders by the middle of 1993 with
        Insurance to follow.

      o Regulations will soon allow banks to operate across borders.

      o higher education degrees and professional qualifications will
        increasingly be recognised throughout the EC.

      However, the following will not change:

      o passport checks on international borders will continue until 1 July
        1993. In Britain, Ireland and Denmark, controls may continue 
        indefinitely.

      o Britain is to retain its quarantine laws on pets but not on animals 
        for breeding.

      o VAT and registration taxes on cars must still be paid in the country 
        in which the car in used. Boats and aeroplanes are excepted to this.

      {details from the European, 30 Dec/3 Jan}

     International News
     ------------------

     UNICEF has decided to withdraw its workers from a port in southern
     Somalia following the murder of a British aid worker there last Friday.

     Presidents Bush and Yeltsin signed yesterday a START 2 treaty agreeing
     the destruction of large numbers of nuclear weapons over the next 10
     years. There are concerns over the ratification of the treaty by other
     states of the former soviet union.

     China has warned of hardship in Hong Kong if Britain continues its
     atttempts to introduce increased democracy there.

     {News courtesy of the BBC}

     Local Weather
     -------------

     A damp start with some light snow around locally. A mainly dry day
     forecast but windy. High 5C/41F.


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<><><><><><><>   VNS Edition : 2738      Monday  4-Jan-1993   <><><><><><><><>
+======================================================================+
| Gwyn Evans  | evansg@uproar.enet.dec.com |  Uxbridge, Middlesex, UK  |
| DESISCo - Digital Equipment Service Industries Solutions Company Ltd |
|  Views expressed and statements made are mine and not those of DEC   |
+======================================================================+