Vietnamese FM in Iran:

Vietnamese Foreign Minister Nguyen Manh Cam arrived tn Tehran on Monday on a three-day visit to promote relations with Iran, Xinhua reports from Tehran.

The Minister was greeted at the airport by his Iranian counterpart Alt Akbar Vclayatl.

Manh Cam told the Iranian news agency Ima that his country is keen to cooperate with Iran in economic, cultural and technical fields.

He said Tehran and Hanoi have maintained excellent Ues, which could provide favorable condiUons for south-south cooperation.

Manh Cam added that another Vietnamese high-ranking delegaUon will come to Tehran to explore ways of upgrading bilateral relations.

Blast kills 7 in Bangkok:

Seven people were killed and 30 Injured when a youth threw a grenade into a crowd of 300 people celebrating the ordination of a Buddhist monk, police said Tuesday, AP reports from Bangkok.

A fight broke out late Sunday between two groups of teenagers at the party following the ordination ceremony In the town of Amnat Charoen, 580 kilometers (360 miles) northeast of Bangkok, police said.

The monk's father asked one group to leave. But the young people returned later and one threw a hand grenade into the crowd, which was watching a performance being given on a stage, police said.

Police In the province, Ubon Ratchathani, said they arrested a person they suspect threw the grenade.

Seoul crime leader held:

prosecutor, on Tuesday arrested a suspected organized crime leader and said he may have paid oft political and government officials tn a new bribery scandal. AP reports from Seoul.

The are*t of Chung Duk-Ch4n came as part of President Kirn. You ng-sam's swcepMg drive to root out corruption In South Korean society. ...

In a separate probe, prosecutors said they were investigating allegations that several close associates of former President Roh Tae-woo received bribes of up to 1 million dollar from a banker now under arrest. Since taking office on February 25, Kim has pushed a massive reform campaign, declaring war on corruption and payoffs In politics, business and other fields. More than 100 people have been arrested, fired or reprimanded.

4 Palestinians shot dead:

israei»idiero shot and killed four Palestinians at a road block tn the occupied Gaza Strip Monday, an Israeli army spokesman said, AFP reports from Jerusalem.

The four victims died in a vehicle after they tried to run down border guards at the road block, near the Burelj refugee camp, the spokesman said. The guards opened fire on the vehicle.

Two of those killed, Hani Mohammad Hassan Mouhamar. 23, from the Khan Younes refugee camp, and Ahed El Abed, 24. from the Shaft camp, were wanted by Israeli security forces, he said. They were Identified by their papers.

•They were members of the armed so-called Fatah "Falcons." a shock troop of the Palestinian Liberation Organization. Palestinian and military sources said.

Algerian troops kill 9 zealots:

Troo-ps shot and killed a group of nine Muslim fundamentalists Monday in an attack on a farm at Boufarik, 35. kilometers (20 miles) south of Algiers, police said. AFP reports from Algiers.

The attack, the latest against such extremists, followed an operation mounted In the wake of the arrest Sunday of another group of 10 people who were said to be aiding the group killed Monday, polite said.

No details were given of the operation, nor the identities of those killed. An arms cache, including an automatic pistol and four hunting rlfies, was recovered after the killings, po-licc said.

26 executed in Beijing:

Authorities in southwest China executed 26 convicted murderers and robbers after parading them before the public at a mass rally, reports AP from Beijing.

It was the latest of a series of group executions reported recently by the official media as police and courts nationwide geared up for what has become an annual spring crackdown on crime. Chinese newspapers report hundreds of execution every year

The 26 were executed April 22 In Kunming, capital of Yunnan province. The executions were reported in the April 27 issue of Yunnan Legal News ( Yunnan Faz hl Bao), which reached Beijing on Tuesday.

J The report said the Kunming People's Intermediate Court - held a mass rally to announce the sentences— a common method of trying to discourage crime by publicizing the price