The bodies of more than 900 people have been found in Jonestown, Guyana. Most of the dead lay near the altar end of the meeting house at the church commune. They had died there after queuing up for a deadly cocktail of a purple soft drink and cyanide. In the middle of the arena of death was the American sect's leader Jim Jones, lying on his back with a bullet hole in his head.
Many had fallen in groups, their arms wrapped around each other. In some places, there were so many bodies it was not possible to see the ground. American Congressman Leo Ryan and four others were gunned down and later hundreds of followers of evangel- Jim Jones joined a suicide pact.
Sharjah port switch In a surprise move the Sharjah government has had a change of mind over the management of new container terminal at Khor Fakkan.
Apparently after the letter of intent had been sent to Port Management Services Ltd, a number of counter bids for the management contract were submitted. After considering these bids, the government decided to hand responsibility for the container terminal's management over to MTI of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. No official reason for the change has been announced.
Mystery explosion kills Syrian troops in Lebanon A mysterious explosion killed or wounded 40 Syrian troops near the Lebanese summer resort town of Italy 12 miles east of Beirut.
Eyewitnesses said the blast ripped up a military bus carrying 50 Syrian soldiers at Aley's main roundabout on the Damascus-Beirut highway. The explosion set the bus and an escorting military truck on fire. Ambulances raced to the scene, which was cordoned off by other Syrian forces serving with an Arab League army that polices Lebanon's civil war armistice.
Boumedienne in coma Algerian President Houari Boumedienne is in a coma and his condition is very serious. Sources said his health had deterorated since the weekend and he was in an intensive care unit in hospital. The government said the President was seriously ill, and hinted that the nine-member Council Of The Revolution was running the country.
Film star tragedy A son of film star Paul Newman has died in Los Angeles of what police said was apparently an accidental overdose of the tranquilliser valium and alcohol.
Allan Scott Newman, 28, was pronounced dead at a hospital after being rushed from his hotel room. Police said a clinic, which they did not identify, received a call from the Newman. A clinic associate visited him in his hotel room and saw he was having trouble breathing.
