In rare public criticism of a government, the Geneva-based International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said Colombo has been “misrepresenting its findings” to stave off allegations it was behind abductions and disappearances. The row surrounds Sri Lanka’s use of a confidential report by the ICRC, which did not give a figure for disappearances on the war-torn island, to dispute ongoing allegations that hundreds of people had gone missing on the island. More... Discuss this story Published: Wed Mar 19 21:38:42 EDT 2008

While Sri Lanka has long wrestled with a human-elephant conflict that kills dozens of animals and people annually, elephant deaths are up sharply -- and it's clear why.

In what the military says is a bid to protect villages in the far north as the government and its Tiger foes wage a new phase of a 25-year civil war, farmers have been given shotguns and a civil defense force semi-automatic weapons for protection. More... Discuss this story Published: Wed Mar 19 21:35:25 EDT 2008

He had battled debilitating post-polio syndrome for years and died after suffering breathing problems, aide Rohan De Silva said.

Clarke, who shot to fame after writing 2001: A Space Odyssey, died at a hospital here yesterday at the age of 90. He had made Sri Lanka his adopted home since 1956.

"Sir Arthur's wish was that his funeral be held in Sri Lanka as a private event," he said. More... Discuss this story Published: Wed Mar 19 21:37:00 EDT 2008