News In Brief

THE WORLD

Nick Leeson, the trader at the center of the Barings Bank collapse, refused to respond to Singapore's charge that he committed forgery. He believes the accusation has nothing to do with the bank scandal, his attorney said. Leeson refused to be extradited voluntarily to Singapore, a German prosecutor said.

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Cuban President Fidel Castro arrived in France yesterday and basked in a red-carpet welcome from President Mitterrand while a senior conservative minister called him a dictator. Castro's three-day visit marks a diplomatic breakthrough for one of the world's last communist leaders.

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Former Mexican President Salinas left Mexico Saturday with his family and flew to New York on his way to Boston, the New York Times reported. A senior government official said Salinas would not be prevented from returning to Mexico but had agreed to stay abroad ''for a considerable time.''

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Norman Thagard, a NASA astronaut, is scheduled to blast off today on a Soyuz rocket with two Russian cosmonauts, heading for the Russian space station Mir. Thagard is the first American to be launched in a Russian rocketship and the first American to fly to the Russian space station.

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Human Rights Watch accused both Cambodia's military and Khmer Rouge rebels of abuses and urged foreign donors to exert pressure. The US-based human-rights organization issued its report on the eve of a conference of Cambodia's foreign financial donors in Paris. Cambodia hopes to obtain $295 million.

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Secretary of State Christopher raised hopeful signs of resuming stalled negotiations between Israel and Syria after he met with Syrian President Assad in Damascus yesterday. Christopher is touring the region to revive the flagging Middle East peace process.

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China will resume talks to join the World Trade Organization in April. WTO members agreed that China may qualify for easier entry requirements. China and the US also agreed to discuss US proposals on market access for insurance and telecommunications services after China resumes formal negotiations.

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The European Union suspended high-level meetings with Canada over a fishing-rights dispute. Senior EU diplomats agreed the Union would not negotiate an end to the standoff over fish-catch quotas unless Canada released a captured Spanish fishing trawler and its crew. The EU did not say whether it would boycott the June summit of the Group of Seven in Halifax, Canada.

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Somalia's rival militiamen began patrols of Mogadishu, putting into action an accord signed March 11 between the capital's two arch-enemies, Mohamed Aideed and President Mohamed. The accord said joint militia patrols would safeguard facilities in both parts of divided Mogadishu, keep other gunmen out, and protect foreigners.

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Vice President Gore assured Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania that they are still in the running for possible NATO membership. But he emphasized there won't be any quick decisions. The three Baltic nations would like to join NATO to counter a possible threat from neighboring Russia.

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Indian voters threw out governing parties they considered corrupt and incompetent for the third straight round of state elections. Observers speculated that voter dissatisfaction over corruption could lead to a national anti-corruption movement as India moves toward nationwide elections in 1996.

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Business in Swaziland's capital, Mbabane, and commercial center came to a halt in what observers describe as the biggest strike in 18 years. The Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions called the strike to press for workers'-rights legislation.

THE US

The House Budget Committee is expected to unveil spending cuts to pay for $188 billion in tax cuts promised by House Republicans. Chairman Kasich indicated he would pay for the tax cuts in part by proposing changes in laws governing automatic spending and reducing discretionary spending. Senator Gregg, meanwhile, released a draft report listing potential savings in benefit programs. The report suggests reining the growth of Medicare, shifting welfare to the states, and pairing other benefit programs.

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President Clinton's policy banning gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military faced its first legal challenge. Six active-duty and reserve service members told a federal district court in New York yesterday that the administration's ''Don't Ask, Don't Tell'' policy denies their constitutional rights to free speech and equal protection under the law. Lawyers for the ACLU and Lambada Legal Defense and Education Fund said they would try to prove the law is ''pure and simple prejudice.''

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