News stories from Saturday February 6, 1982

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

Several years of budget deficits have been forecast by President Reagan in preparing his 1983 budget for presentation to Congress on Monday. His budget message urges Congress "to stay the course" and to continue to advance the President's objective of shrinking the size and responsibilities of the federal government while expanding military expenditures. The budget is based on monetary restraint, sharp drops in inflation, a slow decline in unemployment, and no changes in the three-year tax cut enacted last year. [New York Times] A 140-mile civil rights march in Alabama, from Carrollton to Montgomery, the capital, has begun by a group of Southern civil rights workers and sympathizers from other states to demonstrate support of the extension of the Federal Voting Rights Act and to protest the conviction in Carrollton of two black political activists of violating state vote fraud laws. [New York Times] Colleges are becoming more selective in their admission procedures under pressure of budget problems and student demand. Public four-year colleges are raising their standards for the high school grade point averages and test scores necessary for admission. Applicants are being required to take more academically oriented courses in high school. Places available for students who require remedial work are being reduced. [New York Times] Poland threatened to boycott talks on East-West cooperation in Europe that will resume this week in Madrid if the issue of martial law in Poland is raised. [New York Times] The U.S. and China are involved in "extremely sensitive discussions" over the Taiwan issue, Secretary of State Alexander Haig said, but he was "not in a position to predict the outcome." American officials had previously said that talks were going on with Peking over its complaints about the administration's decision to continue arms sales to Taiwan, which China regards as an infringement on its sovereignty. Mr. Haig's remarks in an interview seemed to indicate concern for future relations not expressed previously. [New York Times] A higher level of technology for export to China is being considered by the administration, a Commerce Department official said at the opening in Peking of an American light industry exhibition, which had been requested by Chinese officials. [New York Times]