Cable Briefs (Press, 22 November 1982)

The Miss World competition faced allegations of being fixed, particularly after the title was awarded to Miss Dominican Republic. Eric Morley, the competition’s boss, strongly denied these claims and offered to produce voting slips from the judges to substantiate his dispute against the accusations, according to a report in the "Sunday Mirror." In a legal scenario involving Billie Jean King, a Superior Court judge dismissed the remaining portion of a palimony lawsuit filed by King's former homosexual partner, Marilyn Barnett. The ruling was announced by Judge Sara Radin, who stated that there were no grounds for Barnett to pursue the case. Neither King nor Barnett were present during this court ruling, which took place in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, delegates at the Organisation of African Unity (O.A.U.) engaged in intensive discussions to salvage a summit meeting set to commence on Tuesday. This summit faced the threat of a second collapse in four months due to significant divisions among the 40 nations, particularly regarding the delegation from Chad. In an unusual incident reported by the "Sunday Express," an Arab businessman travelling on Concorde to New York paid £1119 (equivalent to NZ$2666) for an extra seat due to excess luggage. He explained that his 51 kg hand baggage could not be left unattended as it contained a substantial amount of cash. Tragedy struck in Belfast when the body of a 25-year-old Catholic man, who had been shot in the head, was discovered in the boot of his car. His death marked the fifth killing in Northern Ireland that week, with police indicating that it bore the characteristics of a sectarian killing. In Los Angeles, a Cadillac accidentally fell eight storeys down a freight elevator shaft, but the driver, Jose Alfaro, managed to escape with multiple bruises and head injuries. Firemen noted that the accident occurred when Alfaro unintentionally backed through a guardrail surrounding the shaft. A new report published in "Medical News" highlighted the dangers of marijuana use during pregnancy, stating that women who smoke the drug are five times more likely to have a baby that is either deformed or underweight. It specifically noted that smoking marijuana three times weekly could lead to an average reduction of 140 grams in birth weight, with deformities resembling those found in infants exposed to excessive alcohol in utero. Lastly, a tragic accident in Dorset resulted in the death of Eric Smith, a clothes shop owner at an Army base. He was killed when an Army Scorpion tank lost control and crushed his car. Police Inspector Bryce Stockton commented on the horrific moment, suggesting that Smith had only a few seconds to react but had no chance to avoid the oncoming tank.

The text on this page is created, in the most part, using Generative AI and so may contain errors or omissions. It is supplied to you without guarantee or warranty of correctness. If you find an error or would like to make a content suggestion please get in contact

The text on this page is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 New Zealand