A closer look at the Sri Lankan experience may throw some light on other situations where struggles supposedly based on ethnicity or religion turn out to be more complex – and where human rights are of critical importance, says Savi Hensman.

The Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba, has called for an arms embargo against Robert Mugabe's regime in Zimbabwe, amid growing evidence of a campaign of violent intimidation against political opponents.

Pro-Tibet freedom protesters from media rights group Reporters Without Borders broke through the cordon of 1,000 police officers in Olympia, Greece, as China's envoy spoke and the Olympic torch was lit prior to the Beijing games.