A nationwide ban on smoking tobacco in enclosed places began here Tuesday, but Dutch cafes and restaurants will permit patrons to smoke marijuana inside their premises. Some 200 inspectors of the Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority will ensure compliance to the ban by cafes across the country. The inspectors have been trained to detect tobacco and marijuana, which is allowed in licensed coffee shops.

According to the findings of a new survey, most Americans are open to other forms of religion. A majority of them said that religion forms an important part of their life while others believed the way to salvation can assume different forms. The U. S. Religious Landscape Survey was carried out by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life and revealed a spirit of tolerance among majority of Americans.

Thousands of American homeowners are losing this houses to foreclosure proceedings because they have been late by several months on their mortgages. But Sonya Capri Ramos, a resident of Salt Lake City, lost her home because of an unpaid $68 dentist fee. Ramos' three-bedroom home was sold by the sheriff in 1996 to Jarmacc Properties for $1,550, court documents said. The amount represented the unpaid bill, penalties and interest.

A 19-year-old freshman from the University of Oklahoma became this city's youngest mayor after winning the mayoral election on Tuesday. John Tyler Hammons, who is majoring in political science and public administration, beat three-time former mayor Hershel McBride, 70, by garnering 3,703 votes over his rival's 1,616 votes based on unofficial results.

PGA Tour golfer John Henry "Tripp" Isenhour III has apologized after he was charged on Wednesday with killing a hawk on purpose with a golf shot because it was making noise as he videotaped a TV show. The 39-year-old Georgia Tech graduate was charged with cruelty to animals and killing a migratory bird. He was at the Grand Cypress Golf Course on Dec. 12 to film "Shoot Like A Pro" when he became annoyed with the shrieking hawk.