News stories from Sunday March 2, 1980

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

Soviet and Afghan troops attacked rebel strongholds in Afghanistan, starting what may be the expected spring offensive, according to rebel reports received in Pakistan. The fighting in Kunar Province, bordering Pakistan, was reported by a spokesman for the Islamic Alliance for the Liberation of Afghanistan, a coalition of six rebel groups. The spokesman said at least five district towns had been bombarded by artillery and aircraft. [New York Times] Five more hostages in Bogota were let go following the start of bargaining talks between a hostage ambassador, one of the guerrillas who seized a roomful of people at the Dominican Republic embassy last Wednesday, and two officials of the Colombian Foreign Ministry. The five brought to 23 the number of hostages released by the guerrillas since they invaded the embassy. [New York Times] Administration efforts to monitor price increases by large corporations will be intensified, officials said, as pressure continued to grow for budget and tax cuts to curb inflation. In telegrams to 500 of the largest corporations, Treasury Secretary William Miller and Alfred Kahn, the chairman of the Council on Wage and Price Stability, said they were "deeply concerned" by news reports that some businesses were raising prices in anticipation of wage and price controls. [New York Times] A redesigning of the American car and other products as a result of the energy crisis has bolstered the faltering economy of the Great Lakes industrial area. Tool, mold, die and gauge makers in the Middle West are working six days a week on forced overtime to cut and shape machinery to produce components of 1982 model cars and other energy-consuming products. [New York Times] Federal law enforcement authorities have placed "highest priority" on seizing members of a small anti-Castro group that says it is responsible for a series of bombings in the United States over the last five months that have taken on worldwide political implications. The group, called Omega 7, is regarded as this country's most dangerous terrorist organization. [New York Times] At least 20 deaths were attributed to a severe snowstorm that brought sub-freezing temperatures to much of the nation yesterday. The storm moved over the Middle Atlantic coast and extended as far south as Louisiana. It went out to sea, sparing the Northeast, which has had no serious snowfall since 1978. [New York Times] Ronald Reagan strongly disagreed with an assertion by Gerald Ford that the former California Governor was "too conservative" to be elected President. Mr. Ford had made the remark in an interview in which he said that he would run if he was invited to do so by Republican leaders. Mr. Reagan challenged Mr. Ford "to come out here on the primary trail." [New York Times] Eight reputed underworld figures will be indicted tomorrow on contempt and possibly other charges for refusing to testify before a Manhattan grand jury about alleged underworld activities, including last summer's unsolved murder of Carmine Galante, the organized crime leader, sources close to the investigation said. All were expected to be arrested Monday morning. [New York Times] Radioactive waste could be carried through New York City and other municipalities that now prohibit it or restrict it if a regulation proposed by the Department of Transportation is adopted. The regulation's aim is to avoid costly and time-consuming detours around cities. [New York Times] A counterfeit music tape investigation involves a federal grand jury subpoena for the financial and shipping records and several thousand tapes of recorded music of Pickwick International Inc., which operates one of the country's largest chains of music stores. An expert said most of the tapes appeared to be counterfeit, Pickwick is a subsidiary of the American Company, as is Sam Goody Inc., a New York-based chain of music stores which, along with its president and vice president, was indicted last week on charges of knowingly dealing in counterfeit tapes and cassettes. [New York Times] Custody of a U.S. Embassy official in Teheran was sought by Iran's Public Prosecutor's Office, which asked Foreign Minister Sadegh Ghotbzadeh to hand him over. The official is Victor Tomseth, who is being held at the Iranian Foreign Ministry. [New York Times]