The World - News from May 9, 1989

Three national newspapers in Britain were fined a total of $250,500 for contempt of court in publishing excerpts of “Spycatcher,” a book by a former security agent that details British intelligence operations. Justice Andrew Morritt fined the Sunday Times, the Independent and the defunct News on Sunday $83,500 each for violating a ban imposed by the government against the Guardian and the Observer for publishing excerpts from the book in June, 1986. Morritt ruled that the ban applied to all newspapers. However, the House of Lords later lifted that ban, and both the Independent and the Sunday Times said they will appeal.