THE CHINA MAIL, APRIL 18. 1938.
FRANCE TO FOLLOW BRITAIN IN ITALIAN RAPPROCHEMENT Strong Move In That Direction In Paris Turning Point In -MOROCCAN FRANCO TO Development Of European Affairs
Paris, To-day.
RAILWAY
DISASTER
Paris, To-day. Eight were killed and about 20 injured when an express train from Algiers to Oran left the rails near Orleansville late on Sa- turday night.
Cause of the accident has not yet been established. Trans-
That France should follow the example of Britain
and enter forthwith into negotiations with Ocean Italy, is the demand made by most of the Paris newspapers in their Easter Sunday issues.
Even the Left Wing press admits that signing of the Anglo-Italian Agreement constitutes a turning point in the development of European Affairs.
Aside from these considerations, there is a general insistence in Paris on the provisional character of the new agreement.
The "Petit Parisien" places this of compelling the French Govern- provisional aspect in the foreground, ment to make known its intentions. and says that the commitments France, it declares, should open- entered into by Britain with rely endorse this new policy before spect to settlement of the Abyss Herr Hitler starts on his triumphal | nian question, to be carried out journey to Italy. through the League of Nations, were formulated with great skill and ability.
Britain, says the paper, will now
SPANISH ISSUE
TWO VICTORIES
The Leftist paper "Humanite"
K.L.M. RECORD
London, To-day.
A KLM Royal Dutch air
liner on the Batavia-Croydon route, with ten
passengers aboard, broke the commercial record yesterday.
The plane flew from Alexan- dria to Croydon, via Athens, Budapest and Amsterdam, in twelve and a half hours fiying time, at an average speed of 192 miles an hour.-Reuter.
MR. HORE BELISHA IN MALTA
DRIVE AGAINST VALENCIA
Morella, To-day.
Following the capture of Vinarez by the insurgents, interest is co- centrating on General Franco's next
move.
Although insurgent headquar- ters are reticent, there is reason to believe that the next step will be conquest of the entire Medi- terranean coast south of Vinarez. Fighting for Tortosa, on which the insurgents are advancing, is expected to be heavy, as the Government is re- ported to have concentrated its best troops there.
VALENCIA NEXT?
Now
It is semi-officially intimated thắt tentative plans following the cap- ture of Tortosa do not provide for an iramediate advance on Barce- [lona, but that the coastal advance will be continued with Valencia as the objective.
An insurgent Staff officer told press- men yesterday evening that Gen. Franco considered the end of the civil war was not far off because
The Republican army had now been deprived of its central com- mand. -
SUPPLIES CUT OFF Artus and food supplies from Catalonia had now been cirt off, and Madrid and Valencia, which had
exert all her influence at Geneva to contains some meaty comment. The
London, To-day. effect a final settlement of this paper says: "Fascist Italy and its The Secretary for War, Mr. Les- question.
proteges in the City of London have lie Hore-Belisha, arrived at Malta gained two victories during the by plane on Saturday evening. French political opinion has been past 48 hours--the signing of the Among the official personages who arcused by the planned settlement Anglo-Italian Agreement and the welcomed Mr. Hore-Belisha at the been receiving raw materials for of the Spanish issue, and demands insurgent occupation of a stretch of aerodrome was the military Gorarms manufacture from Catalonia, that the French Government as-the Mediterranean coast.
ernor, Brigadier-General Stubbs- were now cut off from this source scciate itself with a settlement of "Both these victories must be Trans-Ocean.
Trans-Ocean. this kind.
regarded as heavy defeats for De
and France." Trans-
"Le Petit Journal" says that the mocracy new Agreement will have the effect | Ocean.
of
Violent Fighting Round Yihsien Continues
Hankow, To-day.
Violent fighting in southern Shantung, east of the Tientsin-Pukow railway, grew in intensity during the course of Saturday's operations, ac- cording to despatches reaching Hankow.
The Chinese forces attacking Yihsien and Tsao- chwang, on the branch line to Taierchwang, have succeeded in tightening their grip.
All day on Saturday, Yihsien down the Japanese resistance ati was subjected to a fierce bombard-Yihsien and Tsaochwang, as it is ment from the Chinese artillery.fairly certain that these reinforce- Part of the town is reported to be ments will be despatched to relieve in flames. The Japanese are still the Japanese forces entrapped in offering stubborn resistance apthese two towns. parently in the hope of the arrival General Li Chung-jen and Gen-
of reinforcements.
eral Chen Chien have therefore sent further troops to southern In view of the constant arrival Shantung in order to consolidate of fresh Japanese troops in north-the Chinese positions there once ern: Shantung, the Chinese are the enemy resistance has definitely redoubling their efforts to break broken down-Trans-Ocean.
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