The Campaign:
Most intense night of bombing in campaign to date, says Nato; 600 sorties in all; heavy targeting of Belgrade; one policeman report killed, 37 other people injured, say local media sources; targets in capital include: main television transmitter in Belgrade, the headquarters of the Yugoslav army (much damage to nearby Knez Milos street), federal and police buildings; two private houses, one including a restaurant, also hit, but no casualties, say local, media; other targets include: road and railway bridges, petrol depot, nickel plant, border post, airfield, groups of military vehicles, surface to air missile sites, and ordnance storage site.
In Pristina, reports of missile hit on petrol depot at Devet Jugovica, 3 kms from city; missiles also struck Slatina airport, outside city, Mount Goles, Balacevac mine and Grmija hill, destroying last remaining telecommunications transmitter.
Refugees:
Thousands of ethnic Albanians from Kosovo crossed into Albania, with one UN official warning "the final cleansing" of the city of Prizren was under way. Some said they were being forced out, others were leaving before things got worse.
Pressure continued to mount on Macedonia, which is receiving more refugees than at any time for two weeks.
Diplomacy:
As Russian Balkans envoy Viktor Chernomyrdin arrives in Belgrade yesterday with new peace proposals, the Yugoslav foreign ministry said it would consider letting an international armed forces into Kosovo if the UN Security Council with Russian and Chinese backing, calls for such intervention. Belgrade ahs always previously rejected foreign troops.
US civil rights campaigner Rev Jesse Jackson said his mission to free three US soldiers held prisoner in Yugoslavia had been complicated by last week's Nato bombing of Serbian television. "It's as thought they NBC a or CNN while you're working there...They will jot see three American soldiers who are healthy as the moral equivalent of 20 journalists who are dead." Jackson, who plans to meet President Milosevic today, came to Belgrade ignoring warnings from the White House that his mission was dangerous and ill-timed.
Inside Serbia:
Serbia's main opposition part urged the Yugoslav leadership yesterday to show more Flexibility . The Democratic Party said the UN Security Council and Russia can stop the war only of the government of Yugoslavia shows a willingness to compromise about the composition of an international peace force. A similar call came from the small New Democracy Party.
Serb forces have launched a campaign of "ethnic cleansing" against Albanians inside Serbia itself, Nato said, confirming reports from refugees earlier this week.
In the region:
Bulgarian Prime Minister Ivan Kostov proposed a series of urgent measures after a stray Nato rocket ruined a suburban house in the capital Sofia two days ago. Kostov urged Nato to supply Bulgaria with "friend-foe" radar equipment.
Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Drnovsek, a former president of the old Yugoslavia, said Milosevic had only a brief window of opportunity to reach a peaceful solution to the Kosovo crisis and remain a partner of the international community.
Scores of anti-Nato protesters blocked two gates of the northern Greek port of Thessaloniki pledging to let no Nato equipment through for 24 hours.
Quote of the Day:
The rot is setting in from below. - Nato spokesman, Jamie Shea, claiming widespread desertion in the Yugoslav army.