KLA troops have little to match Serb tanks

England have

Serbian forces have renewed their assault against rebel fighters in Kosovo.

Thousands of civilians have been forced to flee their homes after Serbian police, soldiers and armed civilians flooded into the north of the province.

The region came under prolonged bombardment by tanks and heavy machine guns before Serbian troops moved in, burning the villages and hamlets they passed through.

Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic launched a military operation to put down rebellion in Kosovo in February, but this is the first time his forces have entered the guerrilla stronghold around Drenica.

The Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) is fighting for the mainly Albanian population of the province and is seeking greater freedom from Serbia.

The KLA has built up a network of trenches and bunkers in the area, but is only lightly armed and it could do little under the sustained attack but assist the new refugees of this conflict.

The United Nations Security Council has repeatedly condemned President Milosevic's action in Kosovo and today passed a resolution which issues an ultimatum to the Serbian Government.

The ruling demands Belgrade end the fighting and enter talks with separatist groups on the future of the province or face military intervention from the international community. 

The BBC has had a monopoly on the airwaves for 18 years

The new Independent Television Authority (ITA) began its broadcasts with live coverage of a ceremony at the Guildhall marking the start of Britain's first-ever commercially-funded television station.

Among the speakers was the Postmaster General, Charles Hill. The Post Office is working with the ITA to provide the service, and he was quick to address concerns over advertisements.

"We shall not be bothered by a violinist stopping in the middle of his solo to advise us of his favourite brand of cigarettes," he said, "nor indeed will Hamlet interrupt his soliloquy to tell us of the favourite brand of toothpaste ordinarily used at Elsinore."

After the Guildhall banquet, the main programmes got under way.

They included a variety show, half an hour of drama excerpts starring Sir John Gielgud, Alec Guinness and Kay Hammond, and a boxing match.

There was a final news bulletin and cabaret before the final five-minute religious programme, Epilogue, which ended the service at 2300 BST.

The first advertisement came a little more than an hour into the schedule, during the variety show.

Viewers saw a tube of Gibbs SR toothpaste in a block of ice, with a voiceover pronouncing it a "tingling fresh toothpaste" for teeth and gums.

There were another 23 advertisements during the evening, promoting products from Cadbury's chocolate to Esso petrol.

The BBC broadcast "The Donald Duck Story", profiling the Walt Disney cartoon character.

The Corporation is already coming under huge pressure as a result of the new competition from the ITA.

It is looking into the possibility of a quiz show, similar to the ITA's "Double Your Money" hosted by Hughie Green, prompting fears that the arrival of the ITA will cause a slide into lower-standard, populist programming.

Competition is also driving up costs: bidding wars have begun for artistes who before were forced to accept BBC wages. At the same time, the price of popular American imports such as "I Love Lucy" and "Dragnet" has risen from a few hundred pounds up to several thousand.

trench: a long, narrow cut in the earth; a ditch（戰(zhàn)壕）

soliloquy: speech you make to yourself（獨(dú)白）

cabaret: a spot that is open late at night and that provides entertainment (as singers or dancers) as well as dancing and food and drink（歌舞表演）