Nov 16 (CT) Amidst all the political hype and chaos, we the citizens are witnesses to yet another power struggle. Sri Lanka’s highlighted in the international media, for all the wrong reasons! Almost 10 years post war and we’re still struggling internally. We’re born to this world with nothing leave it with nothing; but, what we cultivate as virtue. If so why the struggle in-between? In a land where Dhamma reigns supreme and all reigning leaders are clad in pristine white. more..

Nov 16 (CT) Independent of the final outcome of the current constitutional crisis that has engulfed SL, the defection of a single MP, S. Viyalendiran, from the multi-party TNA may have a strong message for minority politics in the island nation. Coupled with the more recent formation of a breakaway Tamil People’s Alliance (TPA) by disgruntled former TNA Chief Minister of the Northern Province, the defection of an MP may have sounded the death knell of the TNA, more..

Nov 16 (Island) I was shocked when El Presidente decided to give marching orders to our mutual friend the PM Rane, and appoint another one in his Prime Raja as the new PM. It was a frying on a Friday. I always knew that El Presidente liked to relax on weekends and that’s why he chose a Friday to give Rane the boot. No. No, to give the slippers because Siri doesn't wear boots and shoes. All hell broke loose and poor Rane then decided to stay put at the Prime residence in Colpetty, more..

Nov 16 (Island) Oh my goodness, upon my very life! Such relief delivered by the verdict of the Supreme Court on the evening of Tuesday 13 Nov. Cassandra is absolutely no legal know-all and listens novice-like to various interpretations of the single written Constitution we have. She suspects strongly, even with her basic knowledge, the Constitution is grossly misinterpreted to suit party agendas and that play-ball has been perpetuated on the 19th Amendment. PM Ranil Wickremasinghe actually said more..

Nov 16 (CI) On a big-turning pitch such as this, Roshen Silva has shown he has what it takes to succeed. So said team-mate Dimuth Karunaratne, whose 63 was second only to the immense 85 off 174 deliveries that Roshen produced on day two, which pushed SL 46 runs beyond England's first-innings total of 290. Silva had battled through a tough period after lunch, seeing out a testing spell from legspinner Adil Rashid, before settling into more..

Nov 16 (Island) People dislike govts and politicians. In advanced democracies the public asks for less govt because meddlesome politicians make people’s lives miserable. We, the inhabitants of this land like no other, are apparently without a govt at present. Speaker Karu Jayasuriya declared in Parliament, yesterday, for everyone to hear, that the PM and the Cabinet of ministers appointed by President Maithripala Sirisena recently had ceased to hold office with effect from Nov. 14 more..

Nov 16 (CT) The inaugural Ceylon Masters Badminton Championship is scheduled to be held from 26 to 28 Nov at Sugathadasa Stadium with the view of promoting the game and tourism in SL. The championship is conducted by the Ceylon Masters Badminton Association (CMBA). With a participation of over 300 players, including 100 from overseas, tournament will be staged in 9 age categories. India, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Macau, Nepal, NZ, Malaysia & Australia have confirmed more..

Nov 16 (NYT) When the parliamentary speaker tried to call a vote, several lawmakers heckled him, and a gang of them swarmed the podium and broke his microphone. Someone threw a garbage bin at him. Then a bound copy of the SL Constitution soared through the air. Fists swung wildly. Several lawmakers were injured. The speaker, Karu Jayasuriya, 78, had to be hurried out a back door and the session canceled. more..

Nov 16 (Island) Commercial Bank of Ceylon recently sponsored a math support programme benefitting 130 students in four schools in the Mullaitivu area in collaboration with the Sasnaka Sansada Foundation which conducted the programme. Aligned with the Bank’s education-centric corporate social responsibility agenda, this two-day residential programme titled Sasnaka Sansada Ganitha Saviya was conducted in line with the essential teaching concepts of the Ministry of Education. more..

Nov 16 (Island) Janashakthi Insurance PLC (Janashakthi) continued on its growth journey, registering a Gross Written Premium (GWP) of Rs.2.2 billion as at Sept 30, 2018. The Insurer ended the period under review with post-tax profits of Rs.7.4 billion, including the gains from the sale of Janashakthi General Insurance Limited, a press release said. It adds - ‘The Company’s investment income stood at Rs.1,125 million, growing by 14% over Rs.984 million registered in Q3, 2017. more..

Nov 16 (CT) President Sirisena’s office has demanded Facebook Inc to disclose confidential information pertaining to pages operated by 16 politicians, Colombo Telegraph can reveal. Out of 16 politicians who are under scrutiny, 10 represent the UNP (06) while others are from President Sirisena’s own camp – the UPFA. Among those who are in the President’s office Facebook watch list are Sirisena’s recently-appointed PM Mahinda Rajapaksa more..

Nov 16 (FT) UNP MPs yesterday stood by the Speaker and rejected all charges aimed at him for tabling the no confidence motion and accepting the decision of the House, insisting that he was working within his powers and discharging his responsibilities with integrity. Soon after the House was adjourned, addressing the media at a committee room in the Parliamentary complex, MP Champika Ranawaka charged MP Rajapaksa and his supporters had disrupted the business of the Legislature and more..

Nov 16 (FT) UPFA lawmakers called for Speaker Karu Jayasuriya to step down following a disastrous session in Parliament. The UPFA lawmakers demanded the removal of Jayasuriya and made derogatory comments about his mental stability. “The Speaker behaves as if he has a mental health issue. He is responsible for all these issues in Parliament. He has violated the Standing Orders. He accepted Mahinda Rajapaksa as the PM and now he has rejected him. more..

Nov 16 (CT) The JVP stressed that they will contemplate submitting an Impeachment Motion against President Maithripala Sirisena in Parliament, whom they allege had placed the country in a terrible political crisis through his actions. “However, that measure will not be mulled by us now. But, we will consider it in the future. Also if any Party were to submit a similar proposal against the Prez, we will consider it then and there. But, more..

Nov 16 (EN) Profits at Softlogic Holdings surged to 372 million rupees in the September 2018 quarter, up from a loss of 41 million rupees a year earlier, due to a one-off tax reversal off-setting a slump in earnings across retail, healthcare and leisure, interim results showed. "The scale and diversity of the group helped in weathering the macro-economic shocks of increased interest rates, a fast depreciating currency, adverse tax changes, import margin requirements and price led inflation," more..

Nov 16 (DN) Peace Air Pvt. Ltd signed up an helicopter purchase and maintenance agreement with Chairman, Jinlianan International Investment Consultant (Beijing) Co., Ltd. Chongqing, China. This is to launch a domestic Helicopter aviation service in Sri Lanka. Vice President, Peace Air Pvt Ltd, Ireha Wethasinghe said that they hope to purchase 8 Bell helicopters (5 and 18 seater) under this agreement and two would be delivered by early next month. more..

Nov 16 (DM) The govt yesterday said it had lodged a complaint with the police over UNP MPs Ranjan Ramanayake and Palitha Thewarapperuma who had allegedly threatened govt MPs in Parliament with a knife. Govt MP Indika Anuruddha said a complaint has been lodged with the police post at the Parliamentary complex. “Both Ranjan Ramanayake and Palitha Thewarapperuma threatened me with a knife inside chamber. more..

Nov 16 (Island) The fourth edition of Intex South Asia, the largest international textile sourcing show in South Asia, was inaugurated at the BMICH by Taranjit Singh Sandhu, High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka on Wednesday. Indira Malwatte, chairperson, Sri Lanka Export Development Board, Sharad Amalean, chairman, Joint Apparel Association Forum of Sri Lanka , heads of several trade bodies, industry leaders and delegates from several countries were also present. more..

Nov 16 (ET) Developments this week in Sri Lanka that stalled Mahinda Rajapaksa’s backdoor entry to power have given India some comfort, with China’s ambitions in the region facing a setback for the time being. Karu Jayasuriya, the speaker of the SL parliament and the key figure in the current imbroglio, said on Thursday the country had no functioning prime minister or cabinet, indicating that a new PM and cabinet would be in place soon. China had hoped to expand its influence more..

Nov 16 (Island) PM Mahinda Rajapaksa said the current crisis couldn’t be settled in Parliament. Instead of trying to resolve the problem there, the warring parties should seek a fresh mandate from the people, he added. Text of the speech made by the PM Mahinda Rajapaksa in Parliament on Thursday (15): "The President has explained why he dismissed the previous govt and appointed an interim govt until more..

Nov 16 (EN) Sri Lanka's rupee has fallen with amid two liquidity spikes in 2018 just as the economy started to recover, underlining the need to bring restrains to the central bank ability to generate monetary instability as the country moves into global and domestic uncertainty. Monetary instability has tended to come faster after the central bank stopped issuing its own securities to mop up inflows a few years ago and started using short term repos instead. more..

Nov 16 (FT) Leader of the Opposition and TNA Leader R. Sampanthan declared that the Legislature of the country has shown its independence. He made this remark during a press conference after the Parliamentary session yesterday. “Since 26 Oct this country has been moving into a situation of turmoil. The incumbent Prime Minister was removed from office; a new PM was appointed; a Cabinet was appointed; Parliament was prorogued; and subsequently Parliament was dissolved. more..

Nov 16 (DM) If the UNF-led political alliance follows proper Parliamentary procedures and Standing Orders when bringing in a no-confidence motion (NCM) against the govt and PM Mahinda Rajapaksa, the govt is ready to face it and defeat it, Chief Whip and Highways Minister S.B. Dissanayake said. He said the govt would easily secure a minimum of 125 votes in Parliament to defeat the NCM. more..

Nov 16 (DM) Lanka Indian Oil Corporation (LIOC) also announced a reduction in petrol and diesel prices with effect from tonight in line with the fuel price reduction announced by CPC tonight. They said that according to the revision the price of Lanka Auto Diesel was reduced by Rs.7 per litre and Lanka Petrol (Octane 92) was reduced by Rs.5 per litre. This means that a litre of Lanka Petrol (Octane 92) will now be sold at Rs.148. Meanwhile, a litre of Lanka Auto Diesel will now be sold at Rs.111 more..

Nov 16 (CT) MP Rajitha Senaratne claimed that the country was experiencing anarchy and even cancer drugs are in shortage in Govt hospitals, placing the lives of patients at risk. However, senior Health Ministry sources, refuting former Minister’s claims, said that there was no possibility of such an issue arising as tender procedures were being followed as normal. “Of course at certain intervals there have been reports of drug shortages. But, there was no possibility of such a shortage at present,” more..

Nov 16 (CT) For the second day in succession Parliament descended into chaos, but this time with serious consequences. The violence erupted after Speaker asked the House whether they agree to take a vote by name on a speech that was just delivered by the appointed PM Rajapaksa. Members supporting Rajapaksa rushed to the Speaker’s chair and UNP MPs rushed towards them to protect Jayasuriya. more..

Nov 16 (DM) JVP said the request that is being made by the govt to go for a general election is not a genuine one. JVP MP Sunil Handunetti said if the govt really wanted to go for an election, they would support to get 2/3rds majority in Parliament. “There will be no free and fair general election if the election is held under the present regime,” he said. “Can one expect a group who does not allow the House to be conducted in an orderly manner to conduct a free and fair election?” he questioned. more..

Nov 16 (CT) Parliament is scheduled to be convened today at 1:30 p.m., the Speaker’s Office announced, after the sessions were halted due to an uproar in the well of the House. Reportedly, this decision was taken at the Party leaders’ meeting which was held after the Speaker walked away without having adjourned the House due to the unruly behaviour of MPs, last morning. However, earlier yesterday, Speaker’s Office announced that Parliament would be adjourned more..

Nov 16 (FT) The standoff between Prez Sirisena and UNP led MPs showed signs of easing yesterday with the Executive agreeing to accept the decision of the Legislature if the vote for no confidence motion is taken following Parliamentary conventions and proper process and Clause No. 1 of the document is omitted. Representatives of parties who supported the no confidence motion against PM Mahinda Rajapaksa and Govt appointed by more..

Nov 16 (DM) The tense situation within Parliament continued for a second day yesterday due to disagreements between MPs loyal to ousted premier Ranil Wickremesinghe and those loyal to the new PM Mahinda Rajapaksa, leaving the nation’s citizens scratching their heads being unable to fathom what is going on. The whole country watching the drama, unfold within the parliament premises, from their homes and work places have little knowledge of the constitutional procedure regarding more..

Nov 16 (DM) SC decision has pushed Rajapaksa into back foot defence on a daily basis, reacting to the Wickremesinghe strategy of taking decisions in a Parliament that remains prorogued but accepted by Western interests as Constitutional. Supreme Court (SC) decision to issue a stay order on the Gazette notification dissolving Parliament is given a completely distorted interpretation by Yahapalana Experts, to be in line with the Western power bloc. Their accredited envoys in Colombo act firmly more..

Nov 16 (DM) This is a golden opportunity for the ordinary people of Sri Lanka to learn about the Constitution of the country. However, they have to learn the law with the highly prejudiced arguments of extremely opportunistic politicians and the lawyers who argue for their political clientele, and not with the objective analysis of academics or the experts. Interestingly, the Articles 33 and 70 of the Constitution are more..

Nov 16 (DN) A case involving an incident where Malaka Silva, son of former Minister Mervyn Silva had allegedly assaulted on a Scottish couple at a nightclub in Colombo has been referred to the Attorney General for his advice, police informed court. CCD conducting investigations into the incident had informed Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court that they have sought AG’s advice regarding two counter cases. more..

Nov 16 (DM) The Colombo Crimes Division has sought the Attorney General’s Department’s advice to make further arrests in the shooting incident at the CEYPETCO head office where one person was killed. A senior Police official said they had obtained further CCTV footage of the shooting incident that occurred when the former Petroleum Minister Arjuna Ranatunga visited the premises on October 28. more..

Nov 16 (AD) All govt schools in the Northern Province have been closed today owing to the adverse weather condition instigated by the Cyclonic storm GAJA, stated the Northern Province Governor’s Office. The decision has been taken during a discussion held with the Northern Provincial officers of the Ministry of Education and the Northern Province Governor Reginald Cooray. In contemplation of the holiday given today, more..

Nov 16 (Island) UNP MP Dr Rajitha Senaratne yesterday said that the UPFA disrupted the business of Parliament just like the way they took the entire country to a standstill. Dr Senaratne said that the UPFA had formed a fake govt and behaved like thugs inside the Chamber because they clearly understood that their fake Premier Mahinda Rajapaksa and the fake Cabinet did not command the majority in the House. more..

Nov 16 (DM) According to the Sri Lanka Customs, the currencies of only eight out of 52 countries have a lower value than the Sri Lankan Rupee (LKR). In an extraordinary gazette notification issued yesterday by SL Customs Director-General P.S.M. Charles -- displaying the exchange rates of 52 countries in comparison to the Sri Lankan Rupee -- the currencies of Hungary (Forint), Indonesia (Rupiah), Iran (Riyal), Korea (Korean Won), more..

Nov 16 (Island) Ranil Wickremesinghe who maintains that that he is the legitimate PM, told a UNF rally in Colombo yesterday, that a minority govt could exist, only if there was no opposition to it. He said that President Sirisena had tried to justify the appointment of Mahinda Rajapaksa as PM on Oct 26,though he (Ranil) was the legitimate PM, by referring to the situation that existed on Jan 8, 2015, but more..

Nov 16 (NR) The Chief Prelate of the Malwathu Chapter most venerable Thibbotuwawa Sri Sumangala thera says it is important to reconvene Parliament and reach a decision promptly in order to settle the present political instability. In a letter to Prez Sirisena the venerable said he hopes the President will intervene immediately to provide a suitable solution. Sri Sumangala thera called for suitable decisions to be made to protect more..