— Portrait of the Week— THE THREAT of an explosion in
Africa grew more grave. African leaders, mustering in Addis Ababa, clamoured for even tougher deeds than the new sanctions announced by Britain on Wednesday. Ghana began to recruit volunteers for action against Rhodesia. Britain offered a stabilising force to Zambia, but President Kaunda wanted more. Mr. Bottomley dashed off to talk to him—partly because Rhodesia taps the wires— and Mr. Ian Smith chose this week to reveal (in a German magazine) that he would. `certainly' fire on the Union Jack if British troops entered the country.
UNMOURNED, Britain's coldest November since 1925 reached its end, staging a rare display of blizzards, gales and floods, all at the same time: while the Meteorological Office noted glumly that the British winter was getting markedly more severe. The Cold War, too, continued: as the Foreign Secretary, clad in fur, flew to Moscow, the Russians restricted some Western diplomats' movements, evidently as reprisal for the publication of The Penkovsky Papers: from the same motive they expelled the Washington Post correspondent and refused to admit an Observer correspondent. Mr. McNamara, visiting the war in Vietnam, promised big reinforcements of American troops after confessing himself 'sur- prised' by the strength of the opposition; back in Washington a big anti-war march was held, to the warm approval of Chinese spokesmen.
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THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER congratulated British exporters, but the Government insisted that the import surcharge be renewed, defeating the combined Opposition parties by three votes. Mr. Callaghan also talked of a possible further tightening of the squeeze next year, and on the Stock Exchange equities had their worst day for three months. Mr. Ian Mikardo denounced the Government's National Plan, another Labour MP, Dr. Shirley Summerskill, wanted the con- traceptive pill taken off the market pending in- vestigations, while yet another, Mrs. Short, called for a national campaign against obesity—rather inopportunely, as the bakers' strike, diminished the starch intake of millions. Reports from France disclosed a flurry of alarm among Presi- dent de Gaulle's supporters as Sunday's election drew nearer. The Oxford Union elected its first woman secretary. Prince Charles played Macbeth in a Gordonstoun School production. Lionel Bart was invited to compose a march for the Brigade of Guards, and British boxing reporters showered praise on the Liverpool bantamweight Alan It odkin for his world title fight in Tokyo; un- fortunately, however, he lost.
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