Free Republic

The Mexican Navy announced on Thursday that it has begun a search-and-rescue mission in the Caribbean Sea for two sailboats carrying "humanitarian aid" to Cuba. Reuters describes the vessels as "sailboats" and says they left Isla Mujeres, in the Mexican Caribbean state of Quintana Roo, last week. They did not arrive in Havana as scheduled on Tuesday or Wednesday. The journey is about 300 to 350 miles, depending on the route. Combined, the two boats had nine people on board, including eight adults and a four-year-old child. The Mexican navy said Thursday that it was searching for two boats transporting...

A shoplifter, a recovering drug addict and a young couple barely able to feed their kids are among the stars of Benefits Street - a smash hit reality show featuring welfare recipients that has stirred up a storm of controversy in Britain. The program zooms in on a rough Birmingham street where 9 out of 10 people are said to live off state payouts, chronicling over five episodes the lives of jobless neighbours as they struggle with their daily problems. The show has struck a strong chord in a nation fresh out of recession and still reeling from its most...