News In Brief

Angolan rebels free foreign hostages

Angola's anti-Marxist rebels freed 89 foreign hostages Thursday cap-tured during skirmishes since December. The group, the largest freed so far by the rebels, included 66 Portuguese and 15 Filipinos, as well as 8 missionaries from seven countries. Nineteen of the hostages were children.

The hostages, appearing in high spirits, flew to Johannesburg's Jan Smuts Airport aboard a South African-owned C-130 transport plane leased for the operation by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Thierry Germond of the Red Cross Geneva headquarters said he negotiated the release at an undisclosed location in the Angolan bush with the Union for the Total Independence of Angola.