The Sri Lankan offensive against the faltering Tamil Tiger rebel movement has killed or wounded "significant numbers," and thousands are trapped by the fighting, the United Nations said Wednesday. The Sri Lankan army launched an operation against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam in the country’s north on Monday, and a deadline for the rebels to surrender passed Tuesday
Tag Archives: island
How the Strait of Malacca Purged Its Pirate Problem
For centuries, the Strait of Malacca has been one of the great thoroughfares of global commerce. In the old days of wood and sail, the 500-mile ribbon of water, which connects the Indian and Pacific oceans between Malaysia and the Indonesian island of Sumatra, carried pricey spices from the islands of the Indies to the eager markets of the West
Signs of Spring: U.S.-Latin America Relations Thaw
When I started covering Latin America 20 years ago, a leftist source asked what books I’d read to help myself understand the region’s manera de pensar, or psyche. I fidgeted and mentioned Octavio Paz’s Labyrinth of Solitude. He shrugged.
Red Cross: Kidnapped aid worker freed in Philippines
One of two aid workers still held by militants in the Philippines has been freed, the International Committee of the Red Cross said Saturday. ICRC officials spoke briefly by telephone to Andreas Notter and confirmed he is free, an ICRC spokeswoman in Geneva, Switzerland, said, but no other details were immediately available.
Behind the scenes: Will Latin America welcome Obama?
It’s the return of an American president to Mexico City.
Eight (or more) is enough for television success
While there may be a fascination with Nadya Suleman and her brood, she is hardly the first. The mother of 14, dubbed “Octomom” after the birth of her octuplets in January, is the target of much speculation these days as to whether she and her multitude will become the subjects of a reality show.
Castro wants more from Obama on Cuba
The U.S. policy shift toward Cuba makes no mention of the "harshest of measures" — the economic blockade — former Cuban leader Fidel Castro says. U.S
Dry Taps in Mexico City: A Water Crisis Gets Worse
The reek of unwashed toilets spilled into the street in the neighborhood of unpainted cinder block houses. Out on the main road, hundreds of residents banged plastic buckets and blocked the path of irate drivers while children scoured the surrounding area for government trucks.
Poll: Three-quarters favor relations with Cuba
A new poll shows that two-thirds of Americans surveyed think the U.S. should lift its travel ban on Cuba, and three-quarters think the U.S
Whale makes appearance off New York’s coast
Call him Moby Ick. A 30- to 40-foot humpback whale surfaced in the not-quite-pristine waters just north of New York City’s Verrazano Bridge on Thursday morning, according to the Coast Guard.