British Airways was told by Lebanese authorities to stop flying its Concorde at supersonic speeds over the country. Photo: AP
Source:
https://scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3042741/winston-churchills-grandson-engulfed-sex-scandal-muhammad Society
Winston Churchill’s grandson engulfed in sex scandal, Muhammad Ali visits China and a man’s deadly fear of dentists: headlines from 40 years ago
- A journey back through time to look at significant news and events reported by the South China Morning Post from this week in history
Winston Churchill, the grandson of the British wartime leader. Photo: Toronto Star via Getty Images
A sex scandal embroiling one of Winston Churchill’s grandsons, the legendary Muhammad Ali teaching boxing in China, and a man’s fear of dentists costing him his life, made the headlines four decades ago this week.
December 16, 1979
● The grandson of British wartime leader Sir Winston Churchill was linked to allegations of possible security leaks. The young Winston Churchill was named as “Mr X” in the case which also involved sex, blackmail and corruption, according to Scotland Yard. The young Churchill had an affair with Soraya Khashoggi, the English-born former wife of Saudi millionaire Adnan Khashoggi, who was an international arms dealer. Churchill, then 39, was seeing her when he was a Member of Parliament and had some responsibilities for defence.
● Lebanon had told British Airways that it must stop supersonic flights by Concorde over its territory by mid-January 1980. Lebanese officials said they had received complaints from residents in the north of the country about supersonic bangs from Concorde, which BA flew from London to the Gulf. The ruling would force BA to operate Concorde flights at subsonic speeds over Lebanon.
December 17, 1979
● Four Christmas carol singers jumped to their deaths from a hot-air balloon after it struck a power line and caught fire. Families and friends of the victims, three men and a woman pilot, watched in horror as they plunged into a golf course in Fort Lauderdale in Florida.
● Crowds of hungry Equatorial Guineans rioted while waiting for food parcels outside a hall where a banquet was being given in honour of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain. Witnesses said the royal couple, on a three-day visit there, were hustled out of the building by security guards who later dispersed the rioters.
The son of British prime minister Winston Churchill, also called Winston Churchill, became embroiled in a sex scandal over his relations with Soraya Khashoggi. Photo: Toronto Star via Getty Images
December 18, 1979
● A man’s fear of dentists cost him his life in Leeds, England. Walter Wallas asked a workmate to cure his toothache with a punch on the jaw. As a result, the 26-year-old struck his head when the punch knocked him to the ground. He died from a fractured skull.
● Two brothers died of apparent heart attacks after an argument at their younger brother’s home in Port Elizabeth in Pretoria, South Africa. The pair, aged 47 and 49, died within an hour of each other.
December 19, 1979
● One of the world’s tiniest children was leading a normal life in an orphanage run by nuns near Athens, Greece. At the age of nine, her height was only 13.78 inches. The girl, known only as Stamatoul, had to wear doll’s dresses. Medical experts feared because her heart, lungs and stomach were so small she might not survive into adulthood.
December 20, 1979
● Boxing legend Muhammad Ali would return to China in February 1980 and spend six months in the country to train boxers. Ali’s decision was the result of an invitation by Chinese Senior Vice-Premier Deng Xiaoping. Deng urged Ali to train young Chinese boxers for the 1984 Olympics. Ali met Deng for about 20 minutes in the Great Hall of the People earlier that month and discussed only boxing.
December 21, 1979
● An anarchist was jailed for nine years after admitting to plans to kidnap Princess Anne and to scatter fire bombs in the streets of London. Stewart Carr, 29, pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy. Carr told the court that Princess Anne and her husband, Mark Phillips, were potential targets and he had information about their country home and all the people who worked for them.
Pol Pot led Khmer Rouge during its reign of terror over Cambodia in the 1970s. Photo: Reuters
December 22, 1979
● Cambodia’s ousted Khmer Rouge regime was reported to be shifting Pol Pot from his post in a bid to sweeten its international image. But he would continue as a main source of power in the regime, controlling its guerilla fighters. Western diplomats, who said they had reason to believe a Khmer Rouge reshuffle was imminent, described the move as “a cosmetic step designed to take a bit of the international heat off.”
Remember A Day looks at significant news and events reported by the Post during this week in history