The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-19


 London, January 1S.-The war office has neither affirmed nor denied the reports from German sources that troops have been landed in Greece, and that the rela- tions of the Hellenes with the allies are growing strained.
 Somewhat of a sensation was caused here today when a dispatch was received from the semi-official Overseas News agency of Berlin that a note amounting to an uItimatum had been sent to King Constantine country
 The news reached Berlin from Sofia and was received there from Athens through Constantinople, so the reliability of the report is by no means certain.
 According to the Sofia dispatch to Ber- lin, Greece is required to deliver their passports to the ministers of the central powers within 4S hours, failing which the entente will take necessary measures"
 TROOPS WITHDRAWN
 Color is given the reports by the fact that they have been heard at various points. The Cologne Gazette announces that the French and British troops which landed at Phalerop rear Athens have re- turned to their ships.
 A dispatch from Amsterdam to the Ex- change Telegraph company says that all lied soldiers have been landed at Corinth, Greece, which is 4S miles west of Athens.
 The message says that according to the received at Amsterdam from Sofia the troops at Phaleron remained ashore only short time and then re- embarked.
 Among the rumors as to the intentions of the allies" the message continued, lis the statement that they intend to advance to Athens, whence King Constantine, his court and the government will retire in conformity with the Kings desire to maintain armed neutrality.
 WHAT OF VENIZELOS?
 ''In Sofia dispatches the question is asked what Former Premier venizelos will do in that even; whether he will proclaim a republic and whether the army will side with him. These reports are said to have occasioned undisguised alarm at the Bulgarian capital
 The Cologne Gazette is informed by it's Sofia correspondent that the ministers of the central powers at Athens have been ordered to burn all the archives at their legations to prevent them from falling other dispatch to the Cologne Gazette from Sofia says that anti-royalist demon strations are expected at Athens.
 King Constantine retains the sympathy of only the high military officers, the message says, and the attitude of the army is causing much anxiety"
 Although the Balkan situation absorbed most of the attention today, indications were not lacking that momentous events are in prospect along other fronts. The evacuation by the Germans of Lutsk, the important fortress in Volhynia, one of the triangle of Notifications there is announced from Petrograd. having been learned from prisoners captured on that front. This is taken to mean that the Germans are finding it increasingly diff fcult to maintain their advanced posi- tions in Russia.
 BULGARIANS KILLED
 Hundreds of Bulgarian soldiers were killed and a great many wounded in a bombardment of Perritsi, 53 miles north east of Saloniki, by a squadron of French aeroplanes. according to the Athens cor respondent of the Evening standard Great damage was done by the bombs.
 The provisioning of the Bulgarian forces on the Graeco-Servian frontier is being conducted with the greatest difficulty owing to the condition of the roads due to bad weather. Transport is on the shoul- ders of large bodies of peasants,
 Russian forces in superior numbers to the Turks are still pushing their offen- sive along the Caucasus front, according to the Constantinople official statement which records the destruction of a British monitor about 9 miles down the Tigris from Kut- El-Amara. The Turks claim tc have resisted successfully the Russian at, tacks Petrograd is silent on these oper- ations.
 Opposing aviators have been active along the western front, and the Berlir war office statement declares that foul have been shot down in Flanders. Ther, have been artillery actions.
 The British announce the destruction of large portion of the German parapetl near Fricourt by the explosion of { nine. The enemy suffered consider able,' the statemen. says, both from tn, mine and from our artillery which fol lowed it.''
 Tn the recent sinking of the Italian steamer Brindisi. which struck a mine il the Adriatic, 26o persons were drowned it now appears.