One killed as Tamil parties clash

Police in northern Sri Lanka say a member of the opposition Tamil National Alliance has been killed in fighting with members of a rival Tamil party during campaigning for next week's parliamentary elections.

The police said four Alliance candidates were among 14 people hurt in the violence on the island of Kayts, west of Jaffna.

They said the fighting was reported to have started when the candidates were attacked by members of the Eelam People's Democratic Party, a minor partner in the outgoing coalition government which effectively controls Kayts and several other islands.

More than 20 people have been killed in election violence in Sri Lanka over the past month.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service