EVENTS

CLINTON REVISES HAITIAN REFUGEE POLICY President Clinton eased his maligned policy on Haitian refugees and named a new special adviser in hopes of restarting the stalled drive to restore democracy to the military-held country. Mr. Clinton said those fleeing Haiti by boat will now be able to submit their asylum requests aboard United States ships rather than face immediate repatriation. Economic refugees will continue to be returned, but changes must be made to protect ``some who genuinely fear for their lives,'' he said. The president also announced that William Gray III (below), a former US congressman, will be the new special adviser on Haiti. Mr. Gray replaces Lawrence Pezzullo, who was forced from office last month because of differences over the administration's faltering Haiti policy. Pezzullo alienated exiled Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and some in the US State Department by calling for political reconciliation among the different factions in Haiti. Aden under attack in Yemen

North Yemen said yesterday its troops were closing in on Aden, the stronghold of rival Southern forces, and predicted the port city would fall quickly. But the Southern command denied the North's claims and said in a communique that its troops had recaptured Zinjibar, another Southern stronghold on the Gulf of Aden, 30 miles northeast of Aden. Independent verification of battlefield claims was not possible. Foreigners continued to flee. At least 1,700 people, mainly Americans and Europeans, had left by Sunday. Clashes in Gaza

Israeli border police battled hundreds of unruly Palestinians waiting for their own police to arrive yesterday. About 2,000 people gathered outside the border crossing, shouting and waving PLO flags. More than 100 police were expected to cross into Gaza yesterday under the Israel-PLO agreement signed last week. The accord maps out a plan for Palestinian self-rule in Gaza and the West Bank town of Jericho. US officials in Mexico

Secretary of State Warren Christopher says US-Mexican relations are strong, as he and three other Cabinet secretaries open talks on cross-border issues. Accompanying him on the 24-hour trip yesterday, among others, were Attorney General Janet Reno, Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, Housing Secretary Henry Cisneros, and EPA Administrator Carol Browner. Chicago mail found

Firefighters dousing a blaze in a condominium in Palatine, Ill., found sacks stuffed with mail bearing Chicago addresses. In recent months, at least four caches of undelivered mail have been found in the Chicago area.