The phone wars escalated yesterday after Telecommunications Minister E.T.

(Bob) Richards promised a media blitz to counter a "misleading'' ad campaign by Cable & Wireless over the introduction of competition in overseas calls.

---- Page 2 WEST ENDERS SHUN FREE BUSES TRA West Enders shun free buses For the third straight day, not a single person in Somerset took advantage of a free bus service linking homes from White Hill Field to Watford Bridge with a free ferry service to Hamilton. ---- Page 3 NLP: UK WANTS OFFSHORE CASH PTL NLP: UK wants offshore cash Bermuda may have to cut its links with Britain to protect its prosperity, the Island's smallest political party warned. ---- Page 5 ISLAND PRESS CHAIRMAN QUITS NJ BUC Island Press chairman quits In a shock move, Warren Brown has quit as chairman of the Island Press (Holdings) Ltd., and Randolph French has taken over on an interim basis. Mr.

Brown resigned as president of the company some 24 hours after he was re-elected. ---- Business, Page 11 BF&M REPORTS $9.8M PROFIT BUC BF&M reports $9.8m profit Local insurance company BF&M Ltd. reported profits of $9.8 million for the 1997 year, a three percent decline over the 1996 year ended December 31. ---- Business, Page 11 EXHIBITION SHOWCASE TALENT TOD REV ART Exhibition showcases talent Nightmare premonitions that an art show on the theme of "The House'' would be filled with cute little pink cottages are dispelled at the Arts Centre at Dockyard's exhibition, which is a showcase for colour, variety and talent instead. ---- Review, Page 16 BCBC PROBES UK ACCOUNT CRI BCBC probes UK account A full audit of an overseas account has been requested to discover where $20,000 of cash belonging to the Bermuda Cricket Board of Control has gone.

---- Sport, Page 23 ANOTHER FOOTBALL COACH QUITS SOC Another football coach quits Yet another First Division club has begun the search for a coach for next season afer Robert Calderon confirmed he was stepping down at Hotels. ---- Sport, Page 23