Ethiopia: At least 11 students killed in violence

The Ethiopian government says at least 11 students have been killed in clashes with the police in a region that has long been the scene of a secessionist movement.

The government said in a statement late yesterday that violence had erupted in a number of university campuses across Oromia state as ethnic Oromo students protest a plan by the central government to expand the capital, Addis Ababa, into parts of Oromia.

The violence is spreading from the campuses into nearby towns, causing serious damage to property. Protesters set fire to a bank, a gas station and some government buildings, according to police.