News In Brief

Boris Yeltsin, a Soviet official who said the pace of reform was not going fast enough, was removed from his post yesterday. Mr. Yeltsin, the reform-minded leader of the Moscow city Communist Party, was removed at a party meeting for ``major shortcomings'' in his leadership of the capital's party organization, a state television program said.

Yeltsin's replacement was named as Lev Zaikov, who is a full member of the ruling Politburo and the party Central Committee secretary responsible for defense industries.

Briefcase bomb explodes at Beirut airport terminal

A briefcase packed with explosives went off at the Beirut airport passenger terminal today, killing six people and wounding 73 others, police said. Police said most of the casualties were Lebanese and other Arabs who crowded the terminal after a five-day shutdown because of a nationwide strike that ended Tuesday. Among those killed was the woman carrying the briefcase. No motive for the bombing was given.

Bangladesh police arrest two opposition leaders

Bangladesh police yesterday dragged opposition leader Khaleda Zia out of her hotel in Dhaka and later blocked the car of Sheik Hasina, another opposition head. Both women were placed under house arrest. Mrs. Zia and Mrs. Hasina organized the general strikes and street rallies against President Hussain Muhammad Ershad that started Tuesday and continued yesterday.

In other action, a gang of youths looted and set fire to a US cultural center in the capital. The one-story red, white, and blue building was empty at the time of the attack.

British find and defuse another, larger IRA bomb

Following the bombing during the Enniskillen war memorial service, British Army experts have defused a much larger IRA bomb that failed to go off during another memorial service a few miles away. An unidentified senior member of the IRA's army council has conceded that the Enniskillen bomb had dealt a severe blow to credibility of the guerrilla group, fighting to push the British out of Northern Ireland.

Sri Lanka rocked by wave of protests, violence

A wave of student protests and rebel violence rocked Sri Lanka yesterday, and police reported at least 27 people killed in renewed clashes. The bloodshed took the death toll so far this week to 95. Police said they have arrested 64 members of a banned Marxist group and killed six others.

Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Gamani Jayasuriya said he was resigning in protest against planned legislation granting the Tamil minority limited autonomy in the north and west.

Pretoria reports clash with Soviets in Angola

South African troops fought Soviet and Cuban forces in southern Angola while assisting antigovernment Angolan rebels, the South African military said yesterday. Defense Force Chief Jannie Geldenhuys said that in fighting that took place in early October, Soviet and Cuban forces, who back the Angolan government, joined in a battle against UNITA rebels.

Mr. Geldenhuys says South Africa, which backs the rebels, entered the battle as well, but his statement gave no additional details.

Philippine paper says coup chief plans new plot

General Gregorio Honasan, the leader of a coup attempt against President Aquino, has urged soldiers to join him in another coup bid that businessmen are financing secretly, a Philippine newspaper said yesterday. Also yesterday, Mrs. Aquino ordered a probe into an ambush Tuesday night that wounded a left-wing university president whom police had accused of aiding communist rebels.

One of the educator's associates was killed in the attack.

S. Korean opposition wants summit with North

In steps toward eventual national reunification, South Korean opposition leader Kim Dae Jung called yesterday for regular summit talks and a non-aggression pact with North Korea. Separately, South Korea will hold its first free presidential election in 16 years on Dec. 16 to choose a successor for President Chun Doo Hwan's, ruling party officials said Tuesday.

And Hong Sook Ja, president of the national Federation for Women's Organizations, yesterday became the first woman presidential candidate.

Seyni Kountch'e, President of Niger

President Seyni Kountch'e, who died in a Paris hospital Tuesday, ruled the West African state of Niger for 13 years. During his rule, Mr. Kountch'e ended Niger's reliance on imported food, cracked down on corruption, and launched political reforms.

Shortly before his death was announced, authorities in Niamey, Niger appointed Army Chief of Staff, Col. Ali Seibou, who is Kountch'e's cousin, to replace the head of state.

Ortega: Nicaragua takes peace seriously

Nicaragua's President Ortega, making his first visit to Washington in eight years, is disputing Reagan administration claims that his government has not made a serious effort to comply with the Central American peace agreement. In a speech to the Organization of American States yesterday, Mr. Ortega planned to give forceful assurances that Nicaragua will comply fully with the agreement that he and four other Central American leaders signed in August, Nicaraguan diplomats said.

The Reagan administration had no meetings planned with Ortega, a reflection of the US position that no substantive talks with Nicaragua can take place until progress is made in pending cease-fire discussions between the Sandinista government and the contra rebels.

Ortega said yesterday he was carrying a new proposal that could speed up the process of negotiating a cease-fire with the contras.

US Secretary of State Shultz, pledging to give the peace process ``every chance,'' said Tuesday the administration will not seek additional military aid for the rebels until next year. The US dismissed yesterday Ortega's proposal for talks with Reagan at which the contras would be present.

For the record

Miami Mayor Xavier Su'rez claimed the lion's share (over 60 percent) of the city's pivotal black vote Tuesday to easily defeat six-term former Mayor Maurice Ferr' in a runoff. A national Soviet newspaper disclosed Tuesday that 60,000 Moscow residents will be fired in the next two years under Soviet leader Gorbachev's campaign to streamline government by cutting 50 percent of all ministry jobs.

The arrests of 38 Hells Angels in five states on charges of conspiracy to commit murder and the use of explosives, drugs, and weapons could help shut down the motorcycle gang's network, officials say.

CorrectionCorrection for 11/5/87

In Part 2 of the Monitor's series on religion and politics (Nov. 5, Page 18), Dartmouth professor Ian Lustick was misidentified as Dan Lustick, because of a keyboarding error. The Monitor regrets the error.