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Sri Lankans went to the polls Tuesday to cast their ballot in a hard-fought president campaign between the incumbent and his former army chief. For decades the country dealt with a civil war. The war ended when Sri Lanka's government defeated the Tamil Tiger Rebels last May. In a surprising plot twist, it may be the Tamils who decide the winner of the presidential election.

Sri Lanka's Tamil minority may hold the key in Tuesday's election, held in the aftermath of the decades-long civil war with Tamil rebels. When President Mahinda Rajapaksa called the election, it seemed like a shoo-in for him, but as former army chief Sarath Fonseka joined the fight, the campaign turned bitter.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa was in a hard-fought race with his former army chief. Both men had worked together to defeat the Tamil Tiger rebels in a conflict that lasted about 25 years. The challenger rejected the official results and troops have surrounded his hotel.

The U.N. says a third artillery attack has hit a hospital in the war zone in northern Sri Lanka, striking its pediatrics ward and killing several people.

Officials say gunmen in east Pakistan opened fire on a vehicle carrying members of Sri Lanka's national cricket team. Several players were wounded and five police officers were killed. Security concerns have plagued Pakistan for years and some foreign sports teams have refused to play there.

In Sri Lanka, one journalist's determination to tell the truth cost him his life. Lasantha Wickrematunge knew he was going to be murdered. He said so, in an article shortly before he died. He also predicted who would do it.

The Red Cross says hundreds of people have been killed in fighting between government forces and Tamil Tiger separatists in Sri Lanka.

Ethiopia's Tola broke the 12-year-old record for the course. Hellen Obiri of Kenya won the women's race.

In Sri Lanka, years of fighting between insurgents and the government killed tens of thousands of people. Now the rebels known as the Tamil Tigers and the government appear to have reached a new accommodation in the aftermath of the tsunami. NPR's Philip Reeves reports.

In Sri Lanka, there are concerns that government forces and separatist Tamil Tiger rebels may exploit the tsunami crisis to strengthen their positions. Mutual mistrust exists despite a fragile truce dating to 2002, and there are reports both sides are trying to control aid distribution. Some observers hope the crisis will underscore the need for both sides to end the war for good. NPR's Philip Reeves reports.