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The United Nations has called for a series of humanitarian pauses in the fighting in northern Sri Lanka to allow the evacuation of up to 50,000 trapped civilians. The U.N. Refugee Council’s representative in Colombo, Amin Awad urged the Sri Lankan government to allow a U.N. team into the war zone. The Sri Lankan army rejected the appeal. J.H. just sent this report from Kilinochchi.

In the large building from which the Tamil Tiger used to direct their war, the General Officer Commanding the army’s 58th division Brigadier Shavendra Desilva said there will be no more hope in the army offensive. He says this was because without questions the Tiger would not let civilians leave their zone so the army would have to rescue them as he put it. The officer alleged the rebels still in the zone had all changed into civilian’s clothing to blend in with the people staying with them, and the rebels will using heavy weapon to fire into their own area to make the military ***rmation can not be independently verified.

The American computer software manufacture Microsoft has reported its first dropping sales since it become a public company 23 years ago. First quarter sales were down 6% compared to the last year while profits fall by 30%. Microsoft has suffered recently as businesses and computer uses reacted to world economic crisis.

Negotiators from United States and Russia meet in Roma today to begin work and new treaty to curb nuclear weapons. The talks of the first step in drawing up succeed to Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty Start One which was launched by President Reagan and Gorbachev will expire in December. The two sides disagree on several issues. From Roma, Duncan Kennedy.

America plans to build anti-missile system in central Europe and Russia insisted that the missile be destroyed not stockpile as just two areas of disagreement. Both sides want to reduce their nuclear arsenals. The America is in particular believing that it will give them great moral and political force against countries like Iran and North Korea.

North Korea says it formally decided to put on trial two American journalists who are accused of entering the country illegally. State media said the authority has finished question in the two women and they will be brought to court. From Seoul, John Sudworth.

Laura Ling and Euna Lee from the internet broadcast Current TV will detain after allegedly crossing the North Korea-China border while researching a report about refugees. North Korea had already said it intended to try them but confirmation comes at the sensitive time following international condemnation of its long range rocket launch. The Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has been meeting senior official in Pyongyang to try to persuade them to International Nuclear Disarmament Negotiations but there has been no sign of breakthrough.

World News from the ***.

The Prime Minister of Thailand Abhisit Vejjajiva has left the state of emergency in the capital Bangkok. Mr. Abhisit has imposed emergency rule two weeks ago after violent anti-government protestors prompted the cancellation of the major regional summit. Protestors who took part in Bangkok to a standstill agree to suspend their demonstrations after two people were killed in clashes.

The African National Congress is heading for decisively victory in South Africa’s general election. Final results are expected until Saturday. Peter Biles reports from Johannesburg.

With more than 12 million votes counted, the African National Congress has 66.89% of the national vote, a fraction more than the two thirds majority. The Democratic Alliances led by Helen Zille is in 2nd place with 16%, and new opposition party the Congress of the People has 7.6%. Results from some of big metropolitan areas including Soweto were still waited. But the ANC is ahead in eight of the country’s nine provinces. The turnout has been extremely high as much as 80% in some places.

The conference of Roma Catholic bishops in Venezuela are frequently critic of the socialist President Hugo Chavez have warned of growing threat to the democracy in the country. The bishops said Venezuela had become increasingly polarized in recent month. They accused the government of undermining the rule of law and independence of the media.

Armenians around the world are commemorating the mass killings of their compatriots by Ottoman Turks during World War One in which they say up to 1.5 million people died. On the eve of anniversary, thousands march to the Armenian capital Yerevan called on President Obama to honor his election promise and classify the massacre as genocide. But **ysts say he is unlikely to do so, fearing to derail an agreement just announced by Turkey and Armenia on the roadmap towards normalizing relations which has been poisoned by the issue for decades.