
Ethnic Tamil candidate shot dead in Sri Lanka
An electoral candidate was shot dead in eastern Sri Lanka Monday in the first political killing in the run up to parliamentary polls in April, said the police.
Two gunmen stormed a hospital in the town of Batticaloa and fired at Sinnathamby Sunderapillai who was receiving treatment for gunshot injuries suffered in an attack on Saturday, police said.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the killing which came two days after the London-based human rights watchdog Amnesty International asked Tamil Tiger rebels not to kill opponents during the electoral campaign.
Sunderapillai, a member of the minority Tamil community, had sought to represent Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's party at the April 2 vote despite threats from pro-rebel groups to keep out of contesting.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is not contesting the election, but is strongly backing the moderate Tamil National Alliance (TNA) which includes guerrilla proxies.
Diplomats and analysts say the TNA, which had 15 seats in the earlier parliament, could bag a sizeable number out of the 31 seats in the Tamil-dominated north-east.
With the majority Sinhalese community split between the parties of President Chandrika Kumaratunga and her rival Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, the Tamils with a block vote could emerge kingmakers.
Kumaratunga called the election nearly four years ahead of schedule after accusing Wickremesinghe of making too many concessions to the Tigers in his bid to end three decades of ethnic conflict which has claimed more than 60,000 lives.

Leopard skins seized in Chhattisgarh’s Gariyaband, 2 arrested

13,823 fresh Covid-19 cases take India’s infection close to 10.6 million

DK Shivakumar alleges farmers 'not being allowed' to come to Bengaluru

Chhattisgarh: Security forces gun down Maoist in Bastar

Nadda as BJP president: A look at one year in office

West Bengal’s winter delicacy exported for the first time since 1904

Karnataka man booked for allegedly raping 19-year-old Gorakhpur woman

Married woman in live-in relationship not entitled to protection: Allahabad HC

Hyderabad resident to construct 108-ft Hanuman statue in Ayodhya

Speech-impaired minor girl raped repeatedly in Odisha hospital
- The accused was caught after the survivor was found to be pregnant in a medical examination, done after she reported sickness.

Farm laws stir: Supreme Court-appointed panel to set up portal for farmers

News updates from Hindustan Times: Delhi's air quality improves significantly

Rajasthan, Bihar seek on-spot registration to bypass Co-WIN glitches, reluctance
- Glitches in the Co-WIN application, used for registering and communicating with the intended recipients of the vaccine, was reported from several states, leading to delays in the vaccination drive.

10th round of talks between Centre, protesting farmers to be held today
