EVENTS
PORT-AU-PRINCE MAYOR VOWS TO RETURN Police and municipal workers roughed up passers-by outside City Hall on Tuesday, fired shots into the air, and threatened to kill Port-au-Prince Mayor Evans Paul if he tried to reclaim his office. Mr. Paul, who managed the successful presidential campaign of Jean-Bertrand Aristide, canceled a scheduled return Tuesday but said he would return to reclaim the office denied him since the military coup in 1991 that also ousted President Aristide. The mayor's return is seen as a test of the United Nations-mediated peace plan that calls for the Army chief, Lt. Gen. Raoul Cedras, to resign and Mr. Aristide to return to power by Oct. 30. New surgeon general
The private swearing-in ceremony for Dr. Joycelyn Elders as surgeon general was held yesterday after she survived a Senate confirmation battle centering on her support of abortion and condom distribution. Dr. Elders, whose nomination was temporarily derailed a month ago by conservative Senate Republicans, was approved 65 to 34 Tuesday. N. Korea evacuations
North Korea has evacuated discontented dwellers along its northern border with China to prevent defections and antigovernment riots, a South Korean report said yesterday. The report follows recent accounts from defectors about mounting public dissatisfaction over food and fuel shortages and poor living conditions. US-Japan trade talks
Japanese and American negotiators meeting in Washington today are to begin tough talks on how to achieve and measure progress in reducing Japan's huge trade imbalance.
US officials have threatened to impose their own targets for cuts if Tokyo doesn't open its markets. The talks come as the Japanese economy appears to be sliding back into recession. S. Korea discrimination
In a ruling expected to have wider impact, the South Korean Central Labor Committee said yesterday that women telephone operators cannot be forced to retire at an earlier age than men in their company. Workplace discrimination is widespread, and many companies set different retirement ages for men and women. Florida shooting
A German tourist who had just arrived in Miami was fatally shot early yesterday by two assailants in a van who repeatedly bumped his rental car from behind, police said. When the attack began, the man's wife was reading a safety-tip pamphlet being given to tourists following a string of tourist slayings. One of the tips warns people not to stop driving if bumped from behind. Mexican crackdown
Mexican authorities have fired 27 law enforcement agents in a drive to stem corruption in the police forces, officials said Tuesday. Among those fired were 12 commanders of the Federal Judicial Police (PJF), Mexico's top police corps.
Attorney General Jorge Carpizo has pledged to clean up the widely criticized PJF as part of a wider drive against corruption in law enforcement institutions. Baseball recordbreaker
St. Louis Cardinal Mark Whiten hit four home runs Tuesday night for one of the greatest offensive performances in baseball history. He tied major-league records for most homers in a game, most RBIs in a game (12) and most RBIs in a doubleheader (13) while leading St. Louis to a 15-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds in the second game of a doubleheader.