Cable briefs

Press, 3 February 1984, Page 6

Cable briefs

$112,000 accepted A man who spent nearly seven years in jail for a murder he didn’t commit, has reluctantly accepted a total of £50,500 ($NZ112,200) compensation from the Government. “After consulting my wife I have decided to accept the award, although I am not elated,” said Patrick Meehan,, aged 56. He said his first reaction was that the award was insultingly low. — Edinburgh. Meteorite found A meteorite which may be 4.6 billion years old has been found on Western Australia’s Nullabor Plain. A meteorite authority, John Carlisle, believes the object fell recently. The meteorite is about 15cm long, 10cm wide and Bcm high and is of a greyish colour inside and dark black on the outside. — Perth. Free ports The British Government is to allow the establishment of up to four free ports in Britain. Ministers have already discussed free ports, but have failed to come to a final decision. It is likely they will agree to a deal on free ports soon and it is expected that the Trade and Industry Secretary, Mr Norman Tebbit, will make a statement in the House of Commons. The Government is keeping secret the names of the towns which will be accorded free port status, but they will be announced eventually. — London. Clamp on smokers The toughest anti-smoking law in the United States, under which workers have the right not to work near smokers, has come into force in Paloalto, south of San Francisco. The law passed by the city council with only one vote against rules that nonsmokers can prevent smoking in the immediate vicinity of where they work if they choose. — Paloalto. Ties restored China and the Netherlands have announced restoration of ties to ambassadorial level after a Dutch decision in December to cancel more submarine sales to Taiwan. “The two sides agree to restore ... the level of their respective diplomatic missions in the two countries from offices of charge d'affaires to embassies as from February 1, 1984," said a communique, carried by the Xinhua News Agency. — Peking.

Marble stolen Thieves, thriving on the scarcity of marble in Jamaica, are going from cemetery to cemetery chiselling away at tombs and selling the pieces at high prices. The tomb of the West Indies cricketer, Collie Smith, was among those affected. It lost a big slab of marble. — Kingston.