World

  • From a War Zone to a Watery End

    LIBYA

    A boat carrying 600 African migrants fleeing war-ravaged Libya capsized en route to Europe; at least a third of those on board were presumed dead by U.N. officials. It was the latest in a series of maritime tragedies. Refugee groups say hundreds of migrants who crammed into poorly equipped vessels have drowned while attempting the Mediterranean crossing in recent weeks. As NATO ramped up its aerial bombardment of the Libyan capital, Tripoli, relief agencies warned of a growing humanitarian crisis in the country, with conditions particularly desperate in the besieged rebel-held port of Misratah. Close to a million people, both locals and migrants, have fled Libya since the fighting started.

    World by the Numbers

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    85%

    U.S.

    Percentage of U.S. college students who are moving back home after graduation, according to a new survey

    126

    FRANCE

    Years that the mummified head of a Maori warrior was kept in a French museum; it was returned to New Zealand officials May 9

    $20,200

    JAPAN

    Monthly salary of Prime Minister Naoto Kan, which he says he will forfeit until his country's nuclear crisis is over

    24

    SAMOA

    Hours that clocks in the Pacific nation will jump forward in December when it crosses to the east of the international dateline

    4

    U.K.

    Number of beehives stolen from a lab in a Scottish university; the project researching bees cost about $3.3 million

    Taliban Launches a Spring Offensive

    AFGHANISTAN

    Following an audacious jailbreak earlier this year that sprung about 500 comrades, Taliban insurgents staged a 30-hour series of attacks in Kandahar. A group of 27 attackers killed at least two security officers and one civilian before being arrested or slain. While the death toll was relatively low, the attack illustrated the confidence and capability of the Taliban despite NATO's efforts to try to break the insurgency. Meanwhile, in a province near Kabul, hundreds of Taliban fighters attacked Afghan police checkpoints but were fought off by government forces.

    Sanctions Do Little To Stop the Bloodshed

    SYRIA

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