World Notes

BRITAIN The Tories in Rebellion

Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has suffered several political setbacks this summer. Disaffection with her tight economic policies continues to grow, the Conservative Party limped in a distant third in a by-election last month, and Thatcher's approval rating has dropped to 34% in the most recent Gallup poll. But perhaps the cruelest blow came last week, when nearly 100 members of her party refused to back a Thatcher proposal to raise salaries for top government officials by as much as 46%. Both the Tory rebels and Labor opponents denounced the raises as insensitive, coming at a time when the government is pushing teachers, nurses and dockyard workers to accept increases of less than 6%. After a bitter debate, the House of Commons passed the government motion 249 to 232, the narrowest margin on any parliamentary vote since Thatcher won a second term in 1983 with a majority of 144 seats.

The government later denied rumors that the Prime Minister might have resigned if she had lost the vote, which could have led to new elections in August. Said one Thatcher aide: "There's never a popular time to give money to senior people." PHILIPPINES A Threat to Close U.S. Bases

Washington has long regarded Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos as the guarantor of the strategically important U.S. military facilities at Clark Air Base, located about 60 miles northeast of Manila, and the U.S. naval station at Subic Bay. But last week the Philippine National Assembly began debate on a resolution sponsored by Marcos' Defense Minister, Juan Ponce Enrile, to abrogate the 1983 bases agreement between the two countries. Enrile was responding to a vote by the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this month to cut the Philippines' military aid next fiscal year from a proposed $100 million to $25 million; the amount was increased to $70 million last week. The change in the aid formula was initiated by New York Democrat Stephen J. Solarz as an "incentive" to force the Philippine government into political and economic reforms.

Marcos, whose regime is under increasing pressure from a faltering economy and a growing Communist insurgency, has denounced the House action as interference in Philippine internal affairs. Says Edgardo Angara, president of the University of the Philippines: "We may be seeing a crucial turning point in the so-called special ties between the U.S. and the Philippines." NEW ZEALAND Tracking the Rainbow Bombers

As the Greenpeace protest ship Rainbow Warrior was sinking in Auckland Harbor after a midnight bombing on July 10, witnesses spotted a figure in a frogman's outfit wading ashore nearby and climbing into a camper. Last week a French-speaking couple traveling around New Zealand in a van were arrested on arson and murder charges in connection with the sabotage, which killed Crew Member Fernando Pereira. Although the couple, identified as Alain Turenge, 33, and Sophie Turenge, 36, claimed to be Swiss tourists, a government spokesman in Berne said that the Turenges "do not exist" in Swiss records. Police have issued warrants for the arrest of three French-speaking men who were aboard a yacht, the Ouvea, in New Zealand waters at the time of the incident. The yacht had been chartered from the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia.

The Rainbow Warrior had stopped in New Zealand while its crew prepared to lead a protest against French nuclear testing at Mururoa atoll in the South Pacific. After the arrests, New Zealand Prime Minister David Lange observed that the affair had strong political overtones, although there was "no evidence of the involvement of any government." HAITI Baby Doc's Easy Win

The last time Haitian voters participated in a national referendum was in 1971, when Jean-Claude ("Baby Doc") Duvalier was confirmed as the successor to his much feared father, Dictator Francois ("Papa Doc") Duvalier. Last week Baby Doc was back with a referendum intended to satisfy the U.S. that Haiti is moving toward democracy. Mindful of possible restrictions on $54 million in U.S. aid, Duvalier instituted a constitutional change to permit the existence of political parties, but only if the parties submitted to the government the names and addresses of at least 18,000 supporters. The referendum also asked voters to reaffirm the position of President-for-Life and give Baby Doc the right to name his successor.

On election day, busloads of illiterate voters were driven to polling places. Under the watchful eyes of Haitian officials, they voted quietly and repeatedly for the measures, approving the referendum by an overwhelming 99.9% margin. Washington tried to make the best of it. Said one State Department official: "With all of its flaws, the Haitian government is doing what it can." ITALY "Actions and Omissions"

Nearly 5,000 mourners gathered in the Alpine village of Tesero for the communal burial of 33 local victims of the collapse of a dam complex that devastated the Stava River valley on July 19. The day before the interment, Italian President Francesco Cossiga had visited the town and promised the government would prosecute those responsible. Later in the week, two brothers who owned the collapsed mining-company dams, as well as the firm's manager, were arrested on charges of involuntary manslaughter and causing a disaster. Authorities summoned 60 people for questioning about operations at the two dams and the apparent failure to inspect the structures properly. Investigators suspect the wash basins behind the dams had been expanded illegally, making the surrounding earth unstable. Giuseppe Zamberletti, Italy's Minister of Civil Defense, declared the disaster was "not linked to natural factors but obviously due to actions and omissions of men."

Rescue workers continued to dig through the mud and debris for additional victims, and by week's end had recovered 222 bodies. Altogether, 116 people were still known or believed to be missing.