News In Brief
President Clinton and Russian special envoy Viktor Chernomyrdin discussed a new diplomatic bid to end the conflict in Kosovo. Chernomyrdin said before flying to Washington that he was carrying a letter from Russian President Boris Yeltsin, outlining concrete suggestions for ending the hostilities. He refused to give details. Meanwhile, the Rev. Jesse Jackson was to arrive in Washington with a letter for Clinton from Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic. Jackson said NATO's initial response to Yugoslavia's release of three US soldiers it had held as prisoners showed the "arrogance of power."
Clinton and visiting Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi were expected to unveil a deregulation package underscoring Japanese commitment to a more open economy. Telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, housing, retail distribution, and energy are among the economic sectors that would be affected, US trade officials said.
The Supreme Court limited federal courts' power to second-guess immigration officials who decide aliens must be deported because they committed "serious nonpolitical crimes" outside the US. It was a victory for the Clinton administration and a defeat for a Guatemalan who entered the US illegally in 1993 at San Ysidro, Calif.
Safety officials were probing an accident that claimed the lives of 13 people near Hot Springs, Ark. The amphibious tourist boat that sank with 21 people on board was in a shop for repair of a drive-shaft seal two days before Saturday's incident, one official said. The vehicle of World War II vintage - called a "duck" because it can travel on either land or water - sank shortly after entering Lake Hamilton as passengers scrambled to put on life preservers. Investigators said they were focusing on a canopy over the boat that may have prevented some people from escaping.
Officials at Miami International Airport lifted a ban on sales of the latest issue of Cigar Aficionado magazine, which had been taken off shelves because it was deemed flattering to Cuban President Fidel Castro. Miami-Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas had called the move a form of censorship. The June issue, which questions the US trade embargo against Cuba, was ordered off all airport newsstands late last week.
Children closely supervised by parents are less likely to engage in risky behavior, according to a new study that backs up a widespread assumption. University of Maryland researchers tracked 383 children ages 9 to 15 in Baltimore public housing over a four-year period. Those who felt parents set limits and talked with them about their concerns were reportedly far less likely to use alcohol and marijuana, sell drugs, or have unprotected sex. However, as children got older, the influence of friends rose even if parental monitoring stayed the same.
Online ad revenues more than doubled to $1.92 billion in 1998 - surpassing spending on outdoor ads - the Internet Advertising Bureau reported.
