Sri Lanka fighting

In Sri Lanka, at press time, government forces had pushed the Tamil Tigers into a 10-square-kilometer area in the northeast, all that remains of the separate nation for which the Tamil minority group is fighting. Since 1983 more than 70,000 have been killed in this, Asia’s longest modern war.

In April, the Tigers’ proposals of a unilateral cease-fire were dismissed by officials in Colombo, who said the Tigers used previous cease-fires to rearm and that they must surrender.

Tens of thousands of civilians are trapped in the conflict and running low on food, water and medical supplies, with the Red Cross shipping items.