World IN BRIEF : ITALY : 900 Refugees Flee Albanian Homeland

More than 900 Albanian refugees in five ships arrived in the southern Italian city of Brindisi, while others made their way there by any means available--including five who used shovels as oars to row across the Adriatic. Hundreds more were reported scrambling aboard ships in Albania, some by force, in hopes of fleeing Europe’s last hard-line Communist state. The number of Albanians who have sailed to Italy since Thursday exceeds 2,000. Most asked for political asylum. The exodus appears to reflect mistrust of Albanian President Ramiz Alia’s promise to improve conditions in the country.