The World

1 | Sri Lanka The End of the Tamil Tigers? Once considered one of the world's most sophisticated and tightly organized insurgent groups, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) may be nearing defeat in its 25-year war against the Sri Lankan government over a separate homeland for the region's minority Tamils. Sri Lankan troops captured the rebel group's last remaining airstrip on Feb. 3, following the military's Jan. 25 takeover of the city of Mullaittivu, an LTTE stronghold. An estimated 250,000 ethnic Tamils remain trapped in the war zone, with human-rights groups accusing both sides of putting civilians' lives at risk. Violence between the rebels and the Sri Lankan military has escalated since President Mahinda Rajapaksa took power in 2005; nearly 70,000 people have been killed in the fighting since 1983.

2 | Washington A Different Kind of Surge U.S. Army suicides, which have steadily increased over the past five years, reached an all-time high in 2008. An Army report released on Jan. 29 confirms that at least 128 soldiers took their own lives last year--the first time since the Vietnam War that the military suicide rate has surpassed the civilian rate. Army officials point to the mental stress of the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan as a primary factor in the rising rate and have proclaimed a commitment to addressing the issue with an increase in mental-health resources and access to counseling.

3 | Iraq A Violence-Free Election Day The country's Jan. 31 provincial elections proceeded without major violence despite several candidate murders in the days leading up to the vote. In a minor but positive sign, officials even decided to leave polls open for an additional hour after some Iraqis complained of names missing from polling lists. Preliminary results, to be released on Feb. 5, are expected to garner some controversy, however. In one Shi'ite province, a candidate who is unofficially leading the polls has been accused of serving as a top official in Saddam Hussein's Baathist regime. In other regions, allegations of voter fraud have been made.

[This article contains a complex diagram. Please see hardcopy of magazine or PDF.]

1.33 BILLION Chinese population

130 MILLION Migrant workers

808 MILLION Size of labor force

20 MILLION Unemployed migrant workers

SOURCES: CIA WORLD FACTBOOK, CHINESE AGRICULTURE MINISTRY

4 | China Back to the Countryside In a further example of China's faltering economy--exports and overall growth were down significantly in the fourth quarter of 2008--some 15% of its migrant workers are now jobless. This labor force, composed of rural peasants who travel to cities for factory jobs, is the backbone of the country's manufacturing sector. The Chinese government has said it may increase its $585 billion stimulus plan.