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By Frances Harrison BBC News The Sri Lankan civil war - which claimed 100,000 lives - ended in 2009 when government forces finally crushed a near-40-year-long insurgency by the Tamil Tiger rebel group. The final months were especially brutal and survivors will not easily forget what happened to them. It was not hard to spot her. The house on the outskirts of Dublin, Ireland, was full of plump Sri Lankan Tamils, joking loudly and overloading the table with dishes of steaming biryani for Sunday lunch. In the corner, reluctant to come forward, stood a skeletal gaunt-faced woman with dark circles under her eyes, a tell-tale sign of sleepless nights. When her brother stood next to her it was impossible to see any family resemblance because she was so physically different after months of starvation and trauma. She looked like the figure in Edvard Munch's famous Scream picture come to life. I call her Sharmila but that is not her ...

Malala Yousafzai: Portrait of the girl blogger Continue reading the main story Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai first came to public attention in 2009 when she wrote a BBC diary about life under the Taliban . Now recovering from surgery after being shot by the militants, the campaigner for girls' rights is in the spotlight again. Malala was 11-years-old when she began writing a diary for BBC Urdu. Her blogs described life under Taliban rule from her home town of Mingora, in the northwest region of Pakistan she affectionately calls "My Swat". I am afraid - 3 January 2009 "I had a terrible dream yesterday with military helicopters and the Taliban. I have had such dreams since the launch of the military operation in Swat. I was afraid going to school because the Taliban had issued an edict banning all girls from attending schools. Only 11 students attended the class out of 27. The number decreased because of Talib...

Viewpoint: Could Kenya host the Olympics in 2024? Could a Kenyan athlete ever win Olympic gold on home soil? Continue reading the main story No African nation has yet hosted an Olympic Games wants to be the first. Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga recently vowed the country would bid to host the Games in 2024, but sports writer Chris Tsuma says the attempt is destined to fail. Kenya, it seems, has dreams of an Olympian nature. In 2004, Kenya's Sports Minister Ochilo Ayacko made a bold statement: He said the country would bid to host the Olympics. Mr Ayacko was chief guest at the official opening of the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (Nock) headquarters in Nairobi. He startled those in attendance - which included International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge - by declaring Kenya would bid for either the 2016 or 2020 Games. Continue reading the main story It is eight years on. Rio de Janeiro is preparing to orga...