KINSHASA: Muhammad Ali, the man who believes in miracles, produced one here this morning [Oct 30] to dethrone George Foreman as world heavyweight boxing champion with a totally unexpected eighth round knockout. The fearsome Foreman, unbeaten in his previous 40 fights and regarded as one of the hardest hitters in heavyweight history, was reduced to a shambling ruin by Ali’s dazzling artistry and relentless psychological warfare. With the moon beaming down on the … stadium, Ali systematically destroyed Foreman’s confidence before delivering the knockout. … Ali … attributed his stunning victory to Allah. — News agencies

[Meanwhile, as reported by news agencies from Washington,] while Israel still insists it does not recognise the existence of Palestinians, or PLO, as their sole representative, American President Gerald Ford emphasised … in the wake of [the] Rabat Arab Summit decision, that Tel Aviv should make itself prepared to negotiate with the PLO through the [UN]. … Meanwhile, US State Department sources said Secretary of State Henry Kissinger was highly annoyed at Israel’s refusal to talk with PLO… .

Published in Dawn, October 31st, 2024