News stories from Monday December 28, 1981
Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:
- Sanctions against the Soviet Union for its role in the imposition of martial law in Poland are expected to be announced tomorrow by President Reagan, according to senior administration officials. Mr. Reagan, at his California ranch, made decisions on what were described in Washington as "measured steps" against Moscow after receiving the recommendations of his advisers by phone. [New York Times]
- The birth of a "test-tube" baby occurred in an American hospital for the first time. Elizabeth Carr, who had been conceived in a laboratory dish, was born in Norfolk, Va. and was described as "perfectly healthy." At least 14 other such babies have been born overseas. [New York Times]
- The murder trial of Wayne Williams began under heavy security in Atlanta with the questioning of prospective jurors. Mr. Williams is accused of killing two of the 28 young blacks, mostly children, who were abducted and slain in the Atlanta area from 1979 to last May. The jury selection is expected to take nearly two weeks. [New York Times]
- Four veterans of the Indochina war, in New York after a six-day journey to Vietnam, defended the trip against charges that they had served Vietnamese propaganda purposes. The accusations were made by other American veterans during a news conference held by the four to report they had succeeded in opening channels of communication with Hanoi. [New York Times]
- Atlantic City's drinking water is threatened by toxic chemicals dumped into a landfill a decade ago. As a result, the federal Environmental Protection Agency has allotted $500,000 for a six-month study to determine the best way to protect the water, and an additional $1 million for a standby supply of activated carbon to purify the water if necessary before a cleanup can be carried out. [New York Times]
- Key Polish factories remained closed or were working at far below normal production on the first working day after the Christmas holidays, according to reports from Warsaw. Opposition to martial law was apparently persisting despite attempts by the military authorities to restore a sense of normality. [New York Times]
- Poland, under pressure from Moscow, had been preparing to impose martial law since last March, according to Zdzislaw Rurarz, the former Polish Ambassador to Japan who defected to the United States last week. He said that the crackdown had been directed by the Kremlin and that it occurred in winter because that is when the Polish people are at their coldest, most hungry and vulnerable. [New York Times]
- Poland's Communist Party has been almost totally eclipsed by the military authorities running the daily affairs of the martial law regime, but that does not mean the party has lost power, Western analysts in Warsaw believe. I feel "the party's interests are being looked after," said one analyst, who pointed out that since all the top officers are also party members, it is hard to tell where the army leaves off and the party begins. [New York Times]
- Israel has reassured Egypt that the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Sinai will be completed on schedule in April despite violence by settlers protesting the withdrawal. The Israeli radio said the pledge was made by Prime Minister Menachem Begin in a seven-page, handwritten letter to President Hosni Mubarak. [New York Times]
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Stock Market Report
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 870.34 (-3.04, -0.35%)
Arms Index is the ratio of volume per declining issue to volume per advancing issue; a figure below 1.0 is bullish. | |||||||||||||||
| Market Index Trends | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | DJIA | S&P | Volume* |
| December 24, 1981 | 873.38 | 122.54 | 23.94 |
| December 23, 1981 | 869.67 | 122.31 | 42.90 |
| December 22, 1981 | 871.96 | 122.88 | 48.32 |
| December 21, 1981 | 873.10 | 123.34 | 41.31 |
| December 18, 1981 | 875.76 | 124.00 | 50.95 |
| December 17, 1981 | 870.53 | 123.12 | 47.22 |
| December 16, 1981 | 868.72 | 122.42 | 42.37 |
| December 15, 1981 | 875.95 | 122.99 | 44.13 |
| December 14, 1981 | 871.48 | 122.78 | 44.81 |
| December 11, 1981 | 886.51 | 124.93 | 45.84 |