News stories from Thursday November 26, 1981
Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:
- The Pope has regained his vigor six months after he was shot and is signaling his intention to resume being what he was before the assassination attempt -- a robust, traveling teacher asserting his moral authority around the world. John Paul II's schedule next year includes trips to England, Switzerland and Spain. [New York Times]
- A difficult holiday retail season is expected by industry officials who are planning a flurry of price reductions, catalogue promotions, changes in advertising methods and increased community tie-ins. Leading retailers surveyed in 10 cities said they would seek to assure shoppers that values exist despite inflation. [New York Times]
- The sale of U.S. surplus properties is being sought by two members of Congress who have singled out hundreds of unused sites, including lighthouses, airports, dams, military bases and prisons. The government has valued the properties at $1.3 billion, but others insist they are worth much more, perhaps up to $50 billion. The federal budget office is forming a high-level panel to study the proposal. [New York Times]
- A property-tax revolt in Florida has caused sweeping changes. In the last year, when state voters approved overwhelmingly a measure to increase homestead exemptions, the majority of homeowners in 20 counties have been removed from the tax rolls. In those counties, mostly in the less affluent northwestern Panhandle, a minority of property owners now pays for municipal services. [New York Times]
- A new effort to combat coastal erosion is beginning in Louisiana. A new law provides a $35 million fund to curb the disappearance of 47 square miles of coastal land each year. The money comes from taxes and other levies imposed on mineral developers. [New York Times]
- Research curbs on Chinese students are being suggested in letters the State Department has sent to American universities. About 2,000 students are coming from China for study each year, and many are working in science and technological research areas that the department says are subject to federal export control laws. [New York Times]
- A new generation of Texas Democrats has devised a new formula for winning elections, often by wide margins. The under-40 candidates might be called "new progressives." Their modified Democratic philosphy fuses fiscal conservatism with a liberal position on social issues, including concern for the poor and minorities, consumerism and environmental protection. [New York Times]
- Britain's new centrist party won a stunning victory in a by-election at Crosby near Liverpool. The victory by Shirley Williams of the new Social Democratic Party in a constituency long viewed as a Conservative stronghold gave her party its first elected Member of Parliament and enhanced its alliance with the Liberals. [New York Times]
- Prime Minister Menachem Begin fell in his home in Jerusalem, fractured the upper thigh bone of his left leg and underwent surgery, officials disclosed. They said that the 68-year-old Mr. Begin was expected to recover fully after several weeks of hospitalization and home rest. [New York Times]
- The sharing of Common Market costs was discussed again as the 10-nation bloc opened a two-day conference in London. Britain and West Germany reaffirmed the position that they contribute a disproportionate amount of the European Economic Community's $25-billion budget. But the government leaders of the eight other member countries, which generally receive more money from the community than they contribute, offered no new formula to solve the increasingly pressing problem. [New York Times]