News Digest Edited by Diana Johnson Andy Manhart/Dally Nebraskan Carnival goers pack clubs, Samba parade on first day RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - The first feverish day of Carnival exploded Saturday with thousands of revelers jamming costume balls, bars and samba parades to indulge in four days of drinking, dancing and sexual abandon. In Recife, about 1,536 miles northeast of Rio, lavishly deco rated trucks pumping highly am plified samba music from their loudspeakers inched down dancer packed avenues. Meanwhile, in the coastal cities of Fortaleza and Salvador, sun bathers packed beaches and revel ers went wild dancing ‘‘the croco dile,” hopping back and forth along boulevards behind throb bing samba bands and music trucks that headed parade proces sions. But spirits were hardly high in Belo Horizonte, the nation’s third largest city about 288 miles north west of Rio. After the municipal government canceled the city’s main Carnival festivities because of a lack of funds, thousands packed bus stations and airports to enjoy the festival in other cities. In Rio, however, little seemed able to dampen Carnival euphoria - not last year’s record 1,000 per cent inflation, nor charges of cor ruption and nepotism in the gov ernment, nor the closing of schools and hospitals because city employ ees hadn’t received their Decem ber paychecks. After the official opening cere monies Saturday, in which jolly and fat King Momo, Carnival’s symbolic sovereign, received the keys to the city from Mayor Mar cello Alcncar, crowds of thou sands accompanied by bands and parades started singing and danc ing down the streets of downtown Rio. Poorer Brazilians banged out rhythms on pots and pans and frol icked in the falling rain, while the city’s well-heeled donned glitter ing beaded costumes and danced the samba all night in luxurious ballrooms. On Friday night at the Sugar Loaf Ball, the first of a number of ornate, celebrity-studded balls at the base of Rio’s famed Sugar Loaf Mountain, the crowd went wild dancing beneath statues of Mari lyn Monroe and Lenin. And at Rio’s famed Scala night club, the site of some of the rowdi est Carnival balls, party-goers ate and drank from a stock of 1 ton of filet mignon, 650 pounds of shrimp, 210 cases of scotch and 2,600 gallons of draft beer. Behind the merrymaking, au thorities are concerned about un controlled sex and a sharp increase of AIDS cases. Brazil, with about 4,946 registered cases since 1980, is third in the world in the number of AIDS cases alter the United States and France. Newspapers report Botha could retire soon JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — Newspapers Sunday said President P.W. Botha, who stepped down as leader of the ruling party last week, may retire soon. Botha, who suffered a stroke Jan. 18, resigned Thursday as head of the National Party and was replaced the same day by National Education Minister F.W. de Klerk, who is con sidered Botha's heir apparent as president Botha said he will stay on as presi dent, but he has appointed Constitu tional Development Minister Chris Hcunis as acting president while he recuperates. Doctors say the 73-year-old Botha is making a rapid recovery but will need at least another month before he can consider returning to work. Botha was not present for the opening of Parliament in Cape Town on Friday and has not been participat ing in the government’s day-to-day operations, officials have said. The Sunday Times, the country’s largest paper, said in a front-page story that Botha’s decision to step down as party chief “is a prelude to complete withdrawal from public life. The newspaper, citing unidenti fied sources within the National Party, said Botha may retire “within weeks.’’ Khamenei says ties are blocked NICOSIA, Cyprus -- Iranian President Ali Khamenei said Sunday that diplomatic relations with Wash ington will not be possible until the United States abandons its hostile posture toward Iran, Tehran radio said. “There can be no change in our stance against America, unless there is a change in American foreign pol icy toward Iran,” the official broad cast, monitored in Nicosia, quoted Khamenei as saying. “What forces us into our present stance against the United Stales is its hostile and extremely conspiratorial behavior toward the Islamic Repub lic and the revolution ... “What can cause change in the present situation is surely a change in this hostile attitude, and a change in America's policy of domination,’* Khamenei said. After virtually isolating itself from the international community during the Iran-Iraq war, Tehran has been opening doors to both East and West bloc countries since the Aug. 20 cease-fire. But anti-Americanism still is a cornerstone of Tehran’s foreign pol icy. Khamenei also condemned Israeli actions in the occupied territories and South Africa’s policy of race segre f;ation. He said Iran would notestab ish ties with either of those countries. The Sunday Star of Johannesburg said in its front-page story that Botha’s decision to relinquish his party post has sown confusion, be cause National Party members now owe allegiance to three leaders Botha, de Klerk and Heunis. “Botha has to retire from the presidency soon to solve the crisis, the newspaper reported, also citing unidentified sources within the Na tional Party. As president, Botha still has con trol over policy-making, while de Klerk will be responsible for the fun damentals of partisan politics, such as organization and fundraising. Botha has refused to divulge his retirement plans, and both newspa pers said he needs to give a dear indication of his intentions. “He deems it unnecessary to offer any clue as to how - or how long - he proposes to wield power, ” The Sun day Star said in an editorial. “Not even (de Klerk) knows how it is all going to work.” The government must call an elec tion before March 1990 and there has been widespread speculation it could be held as early as April this year. Goodwill is shown of U.S.-Soviet citizens in recent opinion poll NEW YORK - A U.S.-Soviet public opinion poll has found good will among residents of Moscow and four American cities, despite fears over their nations’ longstanding ri valry. Majorities in Moscow and in the U.S. cities saw the superpowers as friendly, the survey found, and more than eight in 10 agreed the two na tions were entering ‘‘a new era of peace and cooperation.” At the same time, nearly four in 10 Muscovites saw the United States as a serious threat to their nation, and as many or more of the Americans saw the Soviets as a threat to the United States, the survey found. The poll was sponsored by WCVB-TV in Boston, the Detroit Free Press, the Daily News and WCBS television and radio in New York, and KRON-TV in San Fran cisco. It was conducted by telephone Dec. 15-25 among approximately 1,000 adults each in Moscow and New York and about 600 each in Boston, Detroit and San Francisco. It had a three-point margin of error for the larger samples, four for the smaller ones. The results were pub lished last week. The survey measured social as well as political views, providing for comparisons of the beliefs and life styles of the Soviets and Americans in the cities where it was conducted. Muscovites, for example, were considerably more confident in their government, with 37 percent saying they always can trust it to do what's right. Just 6 percent of the Americans said the same of their government. But more of the Americans had great pride in their nationality. De pending on the city, about seven m 10 said they were very proud to be Americans. In Moscow, four in )0 were very proud to be Soviets. The Americans were far more content with the goods and services available to them and more positive about their economy. More than half said their lives had improved in re cent years, compared with 37 percent of Muscovites. Whatever their nations ainer ences, at least three-quarters of the Americans in each city said they had a generally favorable impression of the Soviet people. Similarly, eight in 10 Soviets thought well of Ameri cans. The survey was conducted in the United States by two polling compa nies, Market Opinion Research and Maruila £' Kiley, and in Moscow by the Institute for Sociology, a branch of the Soviet Academy of Sciences, with monitoring by the U.S. pollsters. Human bones sold in Nigeria LAGOS, Nigeria - R lice ar rested three people for trading in human skulls and other body parts in a local market, the Sunday Concord reported. The newspaper said police recov ered five human skulls, including jaw bones, and several leg, hand and arm bones. The arrests were made Satur day after police were lipped about the sales One of those arrested told police that most of the body parts were bought from cemetary attendants. Human skulls and bones have been used in some West Africa ritu als. ---1 Nebraskan Editor Curt Wagner Night News Editors Victoria Ayotta 472-1766 Chrta Carroll Managing Editor Jane Hlr* Assoc News Editors Lee Rood Art Directors John Bruce _.. Bob Nelson Andy Manharl Editorial Page Editor Amy Edwards General Manager Dan ShaftH r__„ .T™* «fW4Jo Suppi9ments Editor Oeanne Nelson Professional Adviser Don Walton ». raphics Editor Dm Hartmann 473-7301 Photo Chtaf Connie Sheenan un^nNfiV^^ni,UoSPS 144 0tt0> J* Published by the UNL Publication* Board. Ne .^**rP.l°n M' 400 " St Lincoln, NE, Monday through Friday during the academic year, weekly during tumrer sessions 7 hw ^'“ufagea to submit story ideas and comments to the Daily Nebraskan a^l«4J2el7S3Setween 6 ■ " 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The public also PuW'cations Board For information, contact Tom Macy, 47!> 9868 subscription price Is $45 tor one year p “ chan9«s to the Daily Nebr ask an, Nebraska Union 34,1400 R St.,Lincoln, NE &858fi^0448 Second class postage paid at Lincoln, N£. ALL MATERIAL COPYRIGHT 1989 DAILY NEBRASKAN 34-year leader leaves for Brazil, but polls are to be in 3 months ASUNCION, Paraguay - Former President Alfredo Stroessner, who ruled this nation 34 ye^rs until he was ousted in a coup two days ago, boarded a jetliner Sunday and flew into exile in Brazil. Virgilio Moretzsohn, a councilor at the Brazilian Embassy, told The Associated Press earlier that Brazil had agreed to Paraguay's request that it accept Stroessner. The Roman Catholic radio station Radio Caritas reported that Stroess ner would go to the Atlantic coastal resort of Guaratuba, in the Brazilian gift if of Parana. Stroessner, 76, has vacationed there often. The presence of a plane sur rounded by soldiers at President Stroessner International Airport drew hundreds of onlookers to see in per son, perhaps for the last time, the man who took power in a 1954 coud. Stroessner had been under house arrest near the capital since he was captured early Friday, after a night of fighting. Earlier Sunday, Foreign Minister Luis Maria Argana announced that elections for president and Congress will be held in three months. “Within a few days, we will de cree a new election law and a new electoral system which will dissolve both houses of Congress, and call for elections within three months dating from last Friday,” Argana said. Gtn. Andres Rodriguez, who led a coup against Slrocssner that resulted in tne president’s ouster, was sworn in as president later that day. It was not immediately clear if he would run in the elections. The death toll from the coup has been estimated at up to 300, but no official figures have been given. Rodriguez had been Stroessner’s second-in-command in the army, and his daughter is married to one of Stroessner’s sons. .