Sri Lankans call for end to civil war

Some fifteen hundred people in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo -- among them war widows, disabled soldiers and relatives of war victims -- have held a rally urging the government and the Tamil Tigers to end their fourteen-year civil war.

The rally was organised by the National Peace Council, which groups a number of Sinhalese and Tamil organisations -- many of those at the event came from the north and east of Sri Lanka where much of the fighting has taken place.

In the latest fighting, military officials said at least seven people have been killed in separate clashes between government forces and Tamil Tiger rebels this weekend.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service