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News Digest Czech government ceases Communist monopoly on power PRAGUE, Czechoslovakia - The Communist-controlled Parlia ment on Wednesday swiftly ended the party’s 40-year monopoly on power in a frantic effort to satisfy the demands of the growing pro democracy movement A member of the ruling Com munist Politburo said the first free elections in four decades could be held within a year. Voting with the somber, me chanical gestures bom of decades of rubberstamp approval of Com munist measures, the 309 deputies unanimously scrapped Article 4 of the constitution, which mandated the leading role of the Communist Party. They also deleted a clause that bases all education on Marx ism-Leninism. “Th<*. rpvnlntinn ic nr<V'f*p<1ino much quicker than we expected,” said Jiri Dienstbier, spokesman for the Civic Forum opposition, min utes after the vote was broadcast live on national television. The changes were among his toric concessions the opposition won from the Communist govern ment on Tuesday when Premier Ladislav Adamec also promised to form a new government, including non-Communists, by Sunday. They followed 11 straight days of huge anti-government demon strations, which culminated in a two-hour strike on Monday in which millions of workers partici pated. Adamec went on national TV and said he had asked Civic Forum for its suggestions on who to in clude in the new government. He also said he would negotiate a reas sessment of the 1968 Warsaw Pact invasion that crushed reforms. The removal of the requirement that Marxism-Leninism be the guiding principle of education was a prime demand of students who staged the Nov. 17 protest and have led the pro-democracy move ment since. 1 j Work at the Net?ralkan this spring. I There ^P^# once was 'll 1 \>w a young “** that’s girl f e where named went... k Lee... to report works... Who was an<Jt0 ALL DAY happy write... AND and -— ALL stressless NIGHT! and free.. —I-T-' _ K --- -■ me spring Daily Nebraskan needs a managing editor, associate news editors, editorial page editor, wire editor, copy desk chief, sports editor, arts & entertainment editor, graphics editor, photo chief, night news editors, art director, senior reporter^, columnists and editors for Diversions, The Sower and supplements. Apply and sign up for an interview at the Daily Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Tuesday Nov. 28 to noon Monday, Dec. 4. Interviews will be Dec. 1-6. (Applicants must be UNL students during spring 1990 semester.) UNL does not discriminate in its academic, admissions or employ ment programs and abides by all federal regulations pertaining to the same. Rebels invade rich neighborhoods SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador - Leftist rebels invaded parts of the capital’s most affluent neighbor hoods before dawn Wednesday and dug in after often-fierce combat with government forces. How many people had been killed in the latest guerrilla offensive was not clear. Eleven bodies of combat ants were seen lying in the streets. In Washington, Secretary of State James A. Baker III said guerrillas “briefly overran” a U.S. Embassy officer’s home and “we arc taking steps to assure the safety of embassy personnel.” Embassy personnel were told not to report to work Wednesday, and the embassy was closed for the day, White House spokesman Roman Popadiuk said. Administration offi cials said no Americans were injured. A State Department committee monitoring events in El Salvador reported that the home of the em bassy employee, who was not identi fied, apparently was seized at ran dom. “The family was safely evacuated by Salvadoran government forces, and the family was not actually in the hands of the guerrillas at any time,” said David Denny, a department spokesman. Heavy and sustained fire was re ported blocks from the residence of U.S. Ambassador William Walker. Embassy spokesman Jeff Brown had said Walker was “fine... working in his office at the embassy.” Denny said, “Several families arc unable to leave their homes because of fighting in their locations,” which included the neighborhoods of San Benito, Escalon and San Francisco. A statement from the leftist guer rillas said their fighters had been told not to attack Americans. Guerrillas took over the Japanese Embassy, four blocks from Walker’s house, an El Salvador Foreign Minis try source said privately. U.S. Embassy spokesman Barry Jacobs said a charter flight might depart today with embassy de pendents who want to leave El Salva dor, and embassy personnel who planned to go home for Christmas would leave early. He said some dependents and other Americans had moved into the heavily fortified embassy in down town San Salvador to get away from the fighting a few miles away. A home about a half-mile from Walker’s house was burned after having been taken over by rebels, and unconfirmed reports said a US Embassy employee lived in it. Thc Washington officials said nothing of a fire at the house seized by rebels. Court hears arguments on restricting abortions WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court was asked Wednesday to rule that most young girls have no right to abortions without first telling their parents. The justices, who have allowed limits on the availability of abortions for minors in the past, questioned lawyers defending and attacking pa rental-notification laws in Minnesota and Ohio. In two hours of relatively narrow arguments, they gave no sign they arc considering the broader possibility of scrapping the court’s 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision that legalized abor tion - an idea much discussed outside the court whenever they take up any abortion case. “The court showed no interest in overturning a woman’s constitu tional right to abortion,” Cleveland lawyer Linda Sogg said after the ar gument session in which she attacked the Ohio law. Minnesota Chief Deputy Attorney General John Tunheim agreed. “I don’t think Roe should be on the table in this case,” he told reporters after defending his state law before the court. Last July, the court voted 5-4 to give states more authority to regulate abortions for all women. Four jus tices appeared ready to go even fur ther and overturn Roe vs. Wade, but Justice Sandra Day O’Connor re fused. Groups on both sides of the abor tion issue had looked to the court this term to help clarify its allegiance to the 1973 decision. Bui settlement of an Illinois dis pute over regulating abortion clinics - a case that was to be argued before the justices next month - may have eliminated the greatest immediate threat to Roe vs. Wade. The Illinois settlement still must be approved by a federal judge. O’Connor is expected to play the pivotal role again in the Minnesota and Ohio cases, to be decided by July. At issue in both arc laws requiring parents to be notified before abor tions are performed on unmarried girls under 18 who arc still supported by parents. About half the states have laws requiring parental notification -- or even parental consent — in such cases, but most of the laws have been invalidated after court challenges. Nationwide, about 40 percent of the nearly 1 million teen-agers who become pregnant each year seek abortions. urriciais order trees sprayed to dissuade potential thieves MONROE, Conn. — Chopping down a Christmas tree from Monroe’s town parks is a foul idea, and town officials plan to make sure everyone agrees. All the evergreens in the town’s three parks arc being sprayed with a foul-smelling mixture to dis suade people from robbing the parks for Christmas trees. “You can’t smell it outdoors, but when you bring the tree inside and it warms up, bang. You have a pungent, slinky odor,’’ said park ranger David Solek. Parks director Ron Walissa said even trees too tall for use as Christ mas trees arc vandalized when thieves cut off the lops. Solek said anyone caught steal ing a tree will be fined S25 to S30 per fool of tree. “Taking one of these trees is a horrible thing,” he said. “It goes against the spirit of the holiday. How can anyone be proud of a tree they stole from a park?” Prime Minister Gandhi resigns NEW DELHI, India -- Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi resigned Wednesday, and for only the second lime since independence in 1947 his Congress Party did not claim the right to lorm the next government. Opposition parties began trying to assemble a coalition. Gandhi submitted his resignation to President RamasVamy Vcnkataraman and said he was ready 1 for the role of opposition leader. ' ‘ The people have given their ver dict, he said in a televised speech Wednesday night. “In all humility, we respect the verdict.” ‘‘A new government will be formed. We extend to them our good ( wishes and offer them our construe- ( live cooperation,” said the 45-year- | old former airline pilot, who won his | ownParliamcntseaiovcrwhclmingly . for a third time. ' Congress won more Parliament I scats in last week’s elections than any Dlher party, but was far short ol a majority. Vcnkalaraman asked Gandhi to remain in office as caretaker prime minister. The resignation cleared the way for the National Front alliance to form the next government for the world’s most populous democracy. The Congress Party has been out 3f office only once since independ ence from Britain, for 29 months alter osing the 1977 elections. National Front leaders predicted Wednesday they would choose the text prime minister, but differences trose among the five parties. Congress legislators met Wcdnes iay night and unanimously re sleeted Gandhi as parliamentary eadcr, putting him in the position ol xscoming prime minister again it the ipposition should fail and President /enkataraman asked Congress to orm a government.__ Nebraskan ° 477*1 f£?*rd8 Professional Adviser Don Walton n 472-1760 473-7301 braska Union 34^1^5?144 080) is published by the UNI Publications Board Ne weekly during sumJ?er sessions^"'**’ Monday ,hrou0h FrKjaY dur,n0 academtC yeaf phoning 472T763^SqVmbm',H8t^ry ldaas and comments to the Daily Nebraskan by access to tt^ PuWiMt^nl^c*0? ,5 p m Monday trough Friday The public also has SubscripinS^JJs8?! on.F°yi,0rm“,0ni COn,aC' Pam 472 2568 St.,L?ncolnSNfc ® chan0e9 to the Daily Nebraskan, Nebraska Union 34, 1400 R ALL MATFniA?<^««2i8i!osu,0e P** a< Lincoln, NE . LL MAT£RIAL COPYRIGHT 1989 DAILY NEBRASKAN