World IN BRIEF : ALBANIA : Thousands Try to Flee Country; 12 Die

At least 12 Albanians died trying to swim to ferries under gunfire from security forces in the Adriatic port of Durres to escape their impoverished nation, Albanian state television reported. They were among thousands who frantically tried to flee Albania in hopes of getting to Italy and Western prosperity, news reports said. A resident of Tirana, the capital, said many people drowned trying to reach craft anchored in the harbor. The port was declared a military zone barred to the public after tens of thousands of Albanians forcibly boarded ships at several ports earlier this year to flee to the West.