Also . . .

The powerful chairman of the House Commerce Committee is calling on the nation’s top tobacco executives to appear before the panel to discuss the nationwide tobacco settlement. Rep. Thomas J. Bliley (R-Va.) set a date of Jan. 29 for the first such appearance by tobacco chief executives since a hearing three years ago helped lead to a continuing criminal investigation of the industry. . . . Mexico, facing a drop in oil prices, said it will slash its 1998 budget by $1.85 billion in an attempt to keep its finances in order.