News stories from Sunday May 17, 1981

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

The Pope left his hospital bed in the intensive care unit of a Rome hospital time and sat for a while in an armchair. A medical bulletin from Gemelli Hospital said that he had an "extremely tranquil night" and that he continued to improve. In a recorded message that was broadcast in St. Peter's Square at noon, the hour he usually appears on Sundays at his Vatican window, the Pope said in a strong, clear voice that he had forgiven his attacker. [New York Times] The Pope's alleged assailant, a Turkish fugitive, has ties with Turkey's extreme right-wing Nationalist Action Party, according to a Turkish investigation into the motives of the suspect, Mehmet Ali Agca, who has insisted that he acted alone in the shooting of the Pope and that he does not belong to any organization. Turkish military authorities said the right-wing group has widespread connections abroad. Martial law prosecutors in Ankara have prepared an indictment of the party, accusing it of many crimes, including the murder of 694 people. [New York Times] President Reagan did not deliver the major foreign policy address that was expected of him at the University of Notre Dame's commencement exercises. Instead, after a rousing welcome from an audience of 11,000, he turned the occasion into a reminiscence about one of his first major movies, "Knute Rockne -- All American," a story about the Notre Dame football coach that was filmed on the university campus in Indiana 40 years ago. [New York Times] Jimmy Carter disagrees with the Reagan administration's policy on human rights violations. In an address to the New York Board of Rabbis in Manhattan, his second public appearance since leaving office, the former President warned against withholding censure of human rights violations. He also said that increasing the nation's military strength was no substitute "for mutually advantageous and properly balanced treaties on arms limitation" with the Soviet Union. [New York Times] Another drought this summer seems less likely for the eastern United States after recent heavy spring rains, but a long-term water shortage continues and more rains will be needed before the shortage may officially be declared over. Meteorologists have found increased water supplies in all regions of the nation except for parts of the East Coast and the Middle West. [New York Times] A third bomb was found within 20 hours at the Pan American World Airways Terminal at Kennedy International Airport, and the terminal was closed for five hours. It was removed without being detonated. Investigators are hunting a Puerto Rican terrorist group that is believed responsible for the three devices found at the Pan Am terminal. [New York Times] Fort Worth was host to young pianists from 17 countries who had gathered there to participate in the sixth Van Cliburn Quadrennial International Competition, which provides the winner with rewards greater than any other in the world and a springboard to a usually distinguished career. For the first time, there were no Russians on the roster of the 39 young men and women. There were no applications from Soviet pianists, apparently because of the recent coolness in Soviet-American relations. [New York Times] Helmut Schmidt might resign as Chancellor of West Germany if factions in his Social Democratic Party do not withdraw their opposition to NATO's plan to modernize its middle-range nuclear missiles in Western Europe. Besides raising the possibility of his resignation, Mr. Schmidt, in a speech at a party meeting in Bonn, said his coalition government might break up over the missile issue. [New York Times] Israel delayed military action against the Syrian missile emplacements in Lebanon to provide more time for attempts to reach a diplomatic solution. This was decided in a unanimous cabinet vote that, Prime Minister Menachem Begin said, followed a request for further delay from Philip Habib, the American special envoy in the Middle East. The cabinet communique said that "diplomatic steps should be exhausted in connection with the situation in Lebanon." [New York Times] Leaders of Western news organizations took a strong stand against a proposal by the cultural arm of the United Nations that they fear would restrict freedom of the press. The proposal, originating in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization with the backing of the Soviet bloc and third world nations, would establish a New World Information Order administered by Unesco that would regulate the flow of news and information around the world. The 60 Western news media leaders, representing publications and broadcasting networks in 20 countries, were united in their opposition. [New York Times]