News Currents

UNITED STATES

Ross Perot said yesterday he would make his decision whether to reenter the presidential race on Thursday. President Bush and Bill Clinton each claimed they best represented Perot's views as they took the extraordinary step of sending emissaries to Dallas yesterday to lobby Perot for support.... Basketball star Earvin "Magic" Johnson has endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton.... Teachers in Detroit ended their month-old strike and returned to work yesterday.... Smoking in public places such as schools, day-care centers, hospitals, and the common areas of retirement homes and condominiums becomes illegal in Florida Thursday. Designated smoking areas in schools will also be outlawed.... US 1993 cars will be a bit more fuel efficient than 1992 models, but carmakers have made few improvements in gasoline mileage since the mid-1980s, the Environmental Protection Agency said. ASIA AND EUROPE

Following criticism in Britain and Germany, a German government official yesterday withdrew his backing of a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the first launch of Hitler's V-2 rocket.... The Guardian newspaper reported yesterday that the British government was planning to cut the state subsidy to the monarchy and that Queen Elizabeth would pay voluntary funds into state tax coffers.... A Pakistani airliner crashed near Katmandu yesterday and all 156 people aboard were reportedly killed.... A joint I talian-US operation against the Sicilian Mafia and Colombian cocaine cartels has led to the arrests of 201.... NATO will consider a request from Lithuania for Western observers to ensure Russian troops leave within a year as agreed....