Backstage

A LAST-MINUTE settlement between Christian Democrats and lay parties in the Italian Senate has approved, with some amendments, the bill establishing civil divorce.

The Vatican reconciled itself to the law newly-wed Catholics on Wednesday, made it clear that his remarks on the sanctity and indissolubility of marriage applied only to church marriages.

It is an open secret-even hinted at in the left-wing daily 'Paese Sera', unofficial mouthpiece of the Italian Communist Party- that the crisis on divorce was solved by behind-the-scenes dealings between Christian Democratic and Stalinist leaders.

REVISED

The ugly backside of this deal appeared when Stalinist union leaders agréed Wednesday to a revised programme negotiations on reform demands.

Outstanding claims on price control, tax reductions and transport policy are to be indefinitely shelved, and negotiations will re-open at the end of the month on agricultural policy and development of poverty-stricken S Italy.

spokesman for the CP-led union, the CGIL, made no reference to past calls for strike action.

in the situation (the Catholic and Social-Democratic unions have definitely set their face against any strike call), but it seems clear that the CP intend now to avoid a fight on the full demands for reforms.

POLICE IN • Riot police have been moved into Verbania, near Novara, where 4,000 workers at the Rhodiatoce textile plant have been on strike for over a month for the implementation of the national agreement signed in March.

Trade union officials were forced to call a two-hour general strike in the region on Thursday following the issue of arrest warrants against six strike leaders. Only one, Antonio Lo Nigro, was actually held by police, the others having gone into hiding.

•At Poroto Marghera, near Venice, striking metalworkers occupied the main road linking Venice to the mainland on Wednesday, bringing traffic to a halt for several hours. HUNDREDS of seamen demonstrated outside the Central Labour Commission offices in Bombay against the government's nominee represent them at next week's International Labour Organizamaritime conference Geneva.

Two British freighters and the "Sirdhana', a passenger liner, are among ten ships held up by a seamen's boycott.

IN AMMAN Palestinian commando organizations were meeting to co-ordinate control of their forces. This move follows King Hussein's statement that he will deal only with Al Fatah, the largest commando group, led by Yassir Arafat.

A reward for the capture of leaders of two other commando organizations, the Popular Front and the Popular Democratic Front still stands.

CONGRESSIONAL sources in Washington confirmed the 'New York Times' story of a oint US-Israeli plan to inter. vene in the Jordan war last month. Close liaison was established between Washington and Jerusalem after tanks from Syria crossed the ordanian border to fight the Jordanian Royalists.

TROOPS supporting Bolivia's sources described as a 'minor' right-wing revolt in one of the country's crack regiments.

Forces of the Yungavi regiment were expected to surrender to General Juan Torres' troops.

FIVE MEN, including a priest, accused of 'having formed branch of the 'workers' commissions' underground Labour movement in Barcelona were tried by the Madrid public order court. The trial, accordance with the • 1953 concordat between Vatican and Spain, was held behind closed doors because one of the accused is a priest. N VIETNAMESE and NLF forces shot down three US Army helicopters - two of them only half a mile from the Laotian border-wounding four crewmen.

AT LEAST 18 bombs exploded in several Argentine cities, coinciding with the third anniversary of the death of Che Guevara.

SEVEN HUNDRED Rhondda Transport Company bus crews are to ban collecting fare increases due to come into operation tomorrow, rome resusal 'reprisal' ( against of 'their pay claim.

A NINEPENCE-plus rise in the Greater London Council's rate was forecast yesterday by Mr Horace Cutler, Chairman of the GLC's policy committee.

He warned of the necessity of a rate rise unprecedented in my 25 years' experience in local government which could be as much as 2s 6d with any borough increases'.

PUBLIC LECTURES