News stories from Sunday November 1, 1981

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

Space shuttle Columbia's launching "faces no real problems" a project engineer said as it was being prepared at Cape Canaveral, Fla., for its second flight into space at 7:30 A.M. Wednesday. It will orbit Earth for five days, returning to Edwards Air Force Base in California Nov. 9. The spacecraft will be manned by Col. Joe Engle of the Air Force and Capt. Richard Truly of the Navy. It will be their first flight into space. [New York Times] A delay in deficit-cutting tax increases until 1983 and 1984 has been backed by top tax officials in the administration and in the Senate. But Treasury Secretary Donald Regan and Bob Dole, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, disagreed on how large the increases would have to be. Mr. Regan, who is reluctant to raise taxes, wants major spending cuts to reduce budget deficits. Mr. Dole believes that a large tax increase would have to be part of any effort to achieve a balanced budget by 1984, which is President Reagan's aim. [New York Times] Basic welfare benefits are being cut by some states following reductions in federal aid, and five of them have reduced payments under Aid to Families with Dependent Children, according to a congressional study. The study also found that, despite the effects of inflation on the welfare dollar, 1981 is the first year since 1973 in which fewer than half of the states raised benefits under the dependent children program. [New York Times] Twelve demands by the captors of hostages remaining at the state prison in Graterford, Pa., after 29 others were released over the weekend, were made in talks with a Philadelphia columnist who acted as an intermediary. He described the demands as "reasonable, not extravagant." [New York Times] Eugene Tafoya's lawyers attempted up to the last minute to have his trial on charges of shooting a Libyan student in Colorado last year moved from Fort Collins, Colo., to another place. The trial was scheduled to begin Monday. One of two Denver attorneys representing Mr. Tafoya, a former Green Beret, said he would renew a motion for change of venue. [New York Times] No overriding issue has emerged in New Jersey's campaign for Governor, according to independent political polls in the state. Nor will the outcome of the election on Tuesday necessarily reflect approval or dispproval of the policies of President Reagan, according to Dr. Clifford Zulkin, director of the Eagleton Poll at Rutgers University. Vice President Bush campaigned today with the Republican candidate, Thomas Kean, and Senator Bill Bradley accompanied the Democratic candidate, Representative James Florio. [New York Times] Strikes in Poland would continue despite an appeal against them from Parliament and a government warning that it might assume emergency powers, leaders of the Solidarity union said. The union estimates that 250,000 workers are on strike. [New York Times] Sweden maintained its guard around a grounded Soviet submarine near a Swedish naval base to prevent any Soviet rescue attempt. The submarine went aground last Tuesday in restricted waters near a heavily guarded Swedish naval base at Karlskrona. Sweden is demanding to know why it entered Swedish waters, bringing about a diplomatic impasse between Stockholm and Moscow. [New York Times] Big changes in Egypt's bureaucracy are expected under President Hosni Mubarak, who clearly intends to set his own management style, developed as an air force commander. If he succeeds it will he a distinct departure from the Sadat era, and, many believe, an improvement. [New York Times] Fraud charges in Tunisia's election for a new 126-seat National Assembly, the first contested election in 25 years, were made by opposition groups, who said that officials of the ruling party prevented many of the opposition's supporters from voting. Early unofficial figures indicated that, as expected, the party of President Habib Bourguiba would win a majority of the Assembly seats. [New York Times]