The World - News from Dec. 22, 1987

The British government lost its battle for a permanent injunction against three British newspapers publishing excerpts from the best-selling memoirs of former secret agent Peter Wright. However, the High Court in London agreed to extend a temporary injunction obtained in June, 1986, against publication of the material until Jan. 18, when a government appeal against the ruling is due to begin. The government contends that publication of material from “Spycatcher” threatens national security. But the court said that any such damage would already have been inflicted by overseas publication of the book, which has sold more than 1 million copies.