Today's Story Line

China's reaction to the bombing of its Belgrade embassy reflects a deep, historical attitude toward America. Mutual suspicions go back 150 years.

Trekking inside Kosovo with the rebels of the Kosovo Liberation Army, a Monitor reporter finds NATO airstrikes are helping the KLA take more territory. But direct NATO aid to the KLA would upset Russia. Quote of note: "[Serb forces] had to change their artillery positions, and it is harder to hit us." - Hysan Berisha, a KLA commander. Yugoslavia's claim that it is withdrawing troops from Kosovo fell flat with NATO, and fits a pattern of moves by Slobodan Milosevic to end the bombing.

For Western aid workers who hop from crisis to crisis, coping with Kosovo refugees seems different - because it's in Europe. Quote of note: "It was somewhat easier [to help Rwanda refugees] because their expectations were so much lower: You could give a Rwandan some plastic sheeting and he would make shelter himself." - Robert Yallop of CARE.

Russian President Boris Yeltsin faces an impeachment vote that might rile him into taking drastic action.

The two Koreas have tried various ways to become friendly. The latest: a North Korean noodle shop in Seoul .

Decades of communism in East Germany have left youths there decidedly nonreligious. Thousands of them attend a youth celebration which began as an alternative to church confirmation.

- Clayton Jones, World editor

REPORTERS ON THE JOB *IT'S HOW YOU ASK: Getting to the Kosovo Liberation Army's camps was not easy for Monitor reporter Jonathan Landay and photographer Andy Nelson. Days were spent obtaining a pass, compelling them to wait in the nearby bandit-ridden town of Bajram Curri. There were other obstacles as well, like hiring the right driver. Aslan, who took them up in his SUV, demanded more money than first agreed. Muhamet, their bodyguard and Aslan's cousin, angrily objected, whereupon Aslan grabbed his AK-47 rifle and chambered a round, prompting Andy to give him another $50. But Muhamet tried to grab the bill back. He and Aslan began wrestling, each gripping the other by the throat. The tussle ended with Aslan aiming his gun at Muhamet, who told the Monitor team to begin hiking back to Bajram Curri. Aslan drove off. Ten minutes later, he returned, having learned that the journalists were under the protection of Bajram Curri's ruling clan. After pleading with Muhamet to accept his apologies, the feud ended. Later that evening, Muhamet urged them to give the $50 back to Aslan. Apparently, his beef was not that his cousin wanted more money, but the way in which he had demanded it. Jon and Andy complied.

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