News stories from Sunday April 11, 1971

Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:

Christians celebrated Easter throughout the world. Six years ago Pope Paul visited Prima Porta, Italy, after floods occurred there; today the Pope held the first Easter Mass in the new Prima Porta church. [CBS] West Pakistan claimed that its army wiped out two companies of Indian soldiers in East Pakistan; India denied the report. The West Pakistan army now controls the larger cities in East Pakistan but doesn't have enough soldiers to occupy the countryside. The rebels are unorganized, and refugees are crossing into India by the hundreds. West Pakistan released a picture showing East Pakistani leader Sheik Mujibur Rahman in custody. [CBS] Rioting occurred in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, when teenagers hijacked a bus as Catholics were marching in support of the IRA. British soldiers moved in to get the bus back and were attacked with rocks; nine soldiers were injured. [CBS] In the Mideast, more fighting was reported between the Jordanian army and Palestinian guerrillas. Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Dayan proposed a partial settlement with Egypt involving Israeli withdrawal from the Suez Canal if a permanent cease-fire is established in the canal area, and if the state of belligerency is ended along with a promise that no Egyptian or Soviet troops will cross the canal. [CBS] A North Vietnamese trawler was sunk off the coast of South Vietnam by an American patrol boat and a South Vietnamese gunboat. U.S. helicopters are delivering supplies to besieged South Vietnam Fire Base No. 6. [CBS] Laotian Communist leader Prince Souvanna Phouma stated that American POWs in Laos will be released immediately if the U.S. ends bombing and interventions in Laos. [CBS] A report from Ralph Nader's task force charged that the federal government's campaign against water pollution has been a miserable failure. Nader stated that the best evidence of failure is the lack of a recognizable reduction of water pollution in any U.S. body of water covered by federal reductions. Nader said that the government's programs failed because of inadequate penalties, funding, inspections and delegation of responsibility to states and industries. Pollution standards should be established at factory sources, and penalties should be imposed and inspections increased. [CBS] In Los Angeles, 250 people were arrested at a rock music festival; at Evansville, Indiana, rock music is being used to get across a message not usually associated with rock music. A "Faith Festival" is being held to celebrate the word of Christ. Performer Larry Norman said that he likes rock & roll, but not all rock & roll songs. He is in favor of revolution, but doesn't think that burning down the Bank of America is what will bring peace. [CBS]