Gunmen kill Colombia candidate

Police in Colombia say a mayoral candidate, Jorge Roa, has been killed by armed men bringing the number of murdered political candidates to 16 in the run-up to elections later this month.

The police chief for Boyaca, Alvaro Miranda, said Jorge Roa, a candidate for the country's Conservative Party, was shot dead along with a companion as he drove outside the town of Chivor, about 80 kilometres north of Bogota on Friday.

Reports in two Colombian newspapers,El Tiempo and La Nacion, say his family received a phonecall shortly after the attack from people who said they were rebels claiming responsibility.

Mr Roa is the seventh mayoral candidate to be killed during the election campaign.

Eight people running for city councils and one candidate for governor have also been killed.

Authorities blame the largest rebel group, the Revolutionary Army of Colombia, or FARC, for most of the attacks.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service