Cable Briefs (Press, 10 November 1984)

A fire broke out at the Las Palmas Hotel in Manila's Ermita tourist district on 9 November 1984, resulting in the deaths of six individuals and seriously injuring 13 others. This incident marks the third major hotel fire in the Philippines in just over two weeks. Among the fatalities, four were women, including an unidentified foreigner, while two males included a Saudi Arabian. Three guests tragically died after jumping from windows in a bid to escape the 40-minute blaze that engulfed the middle and upper floors of the eight-storey hotel. In aerospace news, the space shuttle Discovery successfully launched from Cape Canaveral on 9 November 1984 after a delay due to adverse weather conditions. This mission, which aims to rescue two satellites, features a crew of five astronauts and will last for eight days. On the political front, West Hollywood has become the first United States city to be governed by a "gay" majority after residents voted to incorporate the area. The population of this Los Angeles suburb, comprising 36,000 residents, opted for cityhood with a two-to-one majority, primarily to freeze rents. Valerie Terrigno, a lesbian activist, was elected as Mayor, and two other openly homosexual members were also appointed to the city council from a pool of 40 candidates. In a separate development, Timothy Palmes was executed in Florida's electric chair for the murder of a furniture store owner who declined to hire him, making him the eighth execution in Florida in 1984 and the nineteenth in the United States this year. Moreover, the organisers of the Miss World competition announced a ban on all contestants wearing fur coats following a controversy involving Miss Bolivia, Erika Weise, who had sparked outrage by wearing a leopardskin ensemble. Julia Morley, the event's organiser, clarified that the decision was based on conservation concerns rather than to preempt further protests by animal rights activists. Diplomatic relations between Iraq and the United States are set to resume by year-end after a 17-year hiatus, as stated by a Reagan Administration official. This development could potentially enhance American influence in the Arab region while aggravating tensions with Iran, which has been engaged in a prolonged conflict with Iraq. Lastly, in a ruling from West Germany, a court has decided that frogs, which had been causing disturbances with their nighttime croaking, should be allowed to remain undisturbed in their habitat due to their protected status under conservation laws.

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