News stories from Sunday September 27, 1981

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

The Reagan economic policies and the administration's tougher stand on aid to the third world are coming under fire at a Washington gathering of finance ministers and central bank governors from more than 140 countries. Third world delegates to the joint annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, which officially starts Tuesday, say that American policies are intensifying the financial problems of the poorest countries. [New York Times] A move to bar aliens from school in Texas, sought by the state under its constitutional power, will be one of the cases that will argued before the Supreme Court when it begins its session Oct. 5. If Texas wins the suit, more than 11,000 "undocumented" foreign-born children will be barred from the state's public schools. Lawyers working on the case say the outcome will be very close. [New York Times] A lesser government farm role, an aim of the Reagan administration, is opposed by farm state members of Congress and the commodity lobbies that are generous contributors to their campaigns. President Reagan promised to keep the government off the farmers' back by reducing the levels of farm price support loans and subsidies. But if he succeeds, he will alienate some of his strongest political supporters, and if he loses, he will be faced with increased government expenditures that could add $1.5 bilion to the 1982 budget. [New York Times] Federal disability aid is being cut off for 1,300 New York state residents. The number is 38 percent of a first group under review for benefit continuity under a nationwide program begun by the Carter administration. The reviews have been accelerated by the Reagan administration. The New Yorkers are the first of thousands in the state who may lose their benefits. In addition, there are tens of thousands nationwide. [New York Times] Georgia's reapportionment plan is being attacked by blacks, adding another Southern state to those whose proposed congressional redistricting is being opposed by blacks. At issue is the legislature's approval of a plan to redraw the boundaries for Georgia's 4th and 5th Districts and increase the black population in the 5th to 57 percent, rather than the 69 percent a coalition of blacks and a few Republicans had sought as means of reducing the influence of white Democrats and helping a black get elected to the House. [New York Times] Robert Montgomery died of cancer at the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in Manhattan at the age of 77. After playing opposite many of Hollywood's leading actresses, mainly in comedies, he became a producer and director. He was television adviser to President Dwight D. Eisenhower, ocupying an office in the White House. [New York Times] Britain's Labor Party defeated a strong left-wing challenge for leadership by the narrowest of margins. Denis Healey, a former Chancellor of the Exchequer, retained the deputy leadership by eight-tenths of 1 percent of the votes cast at the party's annual meeting in Brighton. His opponent, Tony Benn, had appeared to be the winner in the first count. [New York Times] Polish union militants accused Solidarty's leaders of exceeding their authority and giving away too much in a compromise with the government on the issue of greater worker participation in running factories. Solidarity's leaders, on the defensive at the second part of its convention in Gdansk, said that the agreement was not a bad one, and accused some critics of electioneering for union office. [New York Times] Street battles In Teheran between Mujahedeen guerrillas who oppose Ayatollah Khomeini and his revolutionary guards lasted more than seven hours. It was reportedly the most violent outburst by dissidents since the revolution. Some were armed with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades. Several deaths and 40 injuries were reported. The fighting appeared to be a culmination of the opposition by the Mujahedeen to the presidential election to be held Friday. About 1,000 supporters of the Mujahedeen have been executed by the revolutionary government since June. [New York Times] Iran, in a surprise attack, reportedly lifted the Iraqi siege of Iran's oil refinery center in Abadan, killing or disabling more than 600 Iraqi troops and capturing 1,500 others, along with hundreds of tanks and troop carriers. The report was broadcast by the Teheran radio. Iraq reported heavy fighting in the Abadan area and said that the Iranians had been driven back with heavy losses. [New York Times]