News stories from Saturday January 10, 1981
Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:
- Iran was told by the United States in its last set of proposals for freeing the hostages that within several days following their release it could probably recover more than 70 percent of its multi-billions of dollars frozen in American banks. Iran was also given an American estimated value of those assets. The total, officials said, is about $9.5 billion, a figure considerably less than Iran's claim of $14 billion and the $11 billion estimated by some non-official American experts.
An answer from Iran to the latest American proposals for freeing the hostages -- "most likely" acceptance -- will be issued by Friday, the deadline set by the Carter administration, Ahmad Azizi, Iran's Director of Hostage Affairs, said.
[New York Times] - A summary of taped conversations between Alexander Haig and President Nixon may be supoenaed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for use in its confirmation hearings on Mr. Haig's appointment as Secretary of State in the Reagan administration. The committee wants to hear logs summarizing 100 hours of conversations that took place in 1973. As the hearings continued, Mr. Haig said he would not as Secretary of State be bound by the Republican Party platform and expressed points of view differing from platform positions. [New York Times]
- The coal industry's grievances against federal regulatory bureaucracy, which it says hampers energy production, are generally affirmed by a federal panel established by the Carter administration to analyze interagency coordination. The panel's report describes as legitimate many industry complaints about "overregulation" and conflicting and inconsistent rules, particularly those concerning environmental control of strip mining. [New York Times]
- Sizable reductions in public services across the nation are following citizens' tax revolts. Legislatures convening this month in a number of states face a shortage of revenues. Layoffs and reductions in many areas of government are expected. Treasury surpluses that cushioned the impact of tax cuts, spending limits and tax rebates are dwindling or no longer exist. [New York Times]
- The Atlanta area was searched again by the police and several hundred volunteers for more children's bodies following the discovery Friday of skeletons that may be of two of the 16 black children who disappeared from their homes in the area in the past 18 months. [New York Times]
- The official estimate of the dead in the fire at the Keansburg, N.J., home for the aged early Friday was lowered from 33 to 30 when three persons believed to be dead or missing were found alive. Twenty-four bodies have been recovered. Six persons are still listed as missing. State officials said the Beachview Rest Home had not been required to have sprinklers. [New York Times]
- Joshua Nkomo lost his cabinet post in Zimbabwe. Prime Minister Robert Mugabe dismissed Mr. Nkomo, his former Patriotic Front guerrilla colleague, as minister in charge of the national police in his first cabinet shuffle since taking office last year, when Zimbabwe became independent. Mr. Mugabe also removed Edgar Tekere as minister in charge of manpower planning. Mr. Tekere was recently acquitted of a charge that he had killed a white farmer. Mr. Nkomo turned down an offer of another cabinet position. [New York Times]