Today's Story Line

A monitor survey of some 500 refugees from Kosovo, polled after their arrival in the United States, shows most want something more than what NATO is seeking. More than two-thirds say they won't return home if Kosovo is given only autonomy. NATO is not committed to creating an independent Kosovo. Another poll result: More than one-third of those surveyed say they saw executions committed by Serb forces.

Both the NATO bombing and Russian-brokered negotiations are becoming more intense. The mood in Serbia is shifting, but towns hit by bombs remain defiant against any compromise.

Do antitobacco laws cut smoking? Not in New Zealand, home to a tough antismoking campaign.

British officials are fed up with tabloid journalism and may clamp down.

-Clayton Jones, World editor

REPORTERS ON THE JOB.. * OCCUPATIONAL HAZARD, OR A SOUTHPAW SURPRISED: Reporter Yvonne Zipp, who interviewed Kosovo refugees at Fort Dix, N.J., for the Monitor survey knew enough walking into a Muslim culture to wear conservative clothes and not touch anybody with her left hand. But she didn't realize that taking notes would be a problem. Apparently, according to a translator, there are no left-handed Albanians - or at least all the children are taught to use their right hand. So when she sat down with the translator and a group of older men and started writing, they were rather shocked. They all started asking the translator if there was something wrong with Yvonne. It took a few minutes to explain that things are different in America and that she wasn't considered deficient in any way, even though she was using the wrong hand to write. Yvonne was not sure they completely believed the translator, but they were very kind to her, anyway.

PICTURE OF THE DAY.. * STAR REFUGEE: Venera Mustafa left the horror of Kosovo's war behind as she defeated 23 rivals to win the crown of Miss Albania 1999. "I took part in this competition because there are more than half a million Kosovars here and I wanted to represent my people," said the high school student from Pristina. It was the first time an ethnic Albanian from Kosovo has taken part in a Miss Albania contest. She won $6,000.

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