Nov 24 (DM) Prez Sirisena told the Commonwealth Secretary General, Baroness Patricia Scotland that he has acted in accordance with the Constitution of SL and would continue to stand for democratic practices. President’s media division said that "a telephone conversation with Baroness Patricia Scotland, he explained that he has very clearly asked the Speaker of parliament to follow the Parliamentary Standing Orders and conventions and take any vote on a No Confidence Motion more..

Nov 24 (Island) 120 Opposition MPs voted in favour of the list of names put forward by Speaker Karu Jayasuriya for the special House Selection Committee, despite opposition from the ruling party. Electronic voting system was used. Thereafter, Leader of House & JO leader Dinesh Gunawardena (MEP) walked out of the parliament with other ruling party members, claiming they would not recognise a Selection Committee more..

Nov 24 (CT) The CID yesterday filed charges in the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court against those allegedly involved in the murder of rugby player Wazim Thajudeen. This charge sheet was filed in Court by the CID in response to an order given by the Chief Magistrate at the previous hearing of the case. Attorney General sending a report to the CID in connection to the case, had stated that the first suspect in the case, former Crimes OIC of the Narahenpita Police Sumith Perera and more..

Nov 24 (Hindu) The problem of refugee influx that India has been having is not going to end in the near future. On the contrary, the country may receive more and more refugees from many of its neighbours, according to V. Suryanarayan, veteran specialist in South and Southeast Asian studies. Linking the possibility of intensification of the problem to the likelihood of the nation-building activity of India’s neighbours getting based on language and religion, Prof. Suryanarayan more..

Nov 24 (FT) Delivering another Friday night twist to the ongoing political turmoil, 122 MPs filed legal action yesterday, challenging the authority of former Prez Rajapaksa to hold office as PM, after a no confidence motion was passed against him in the House. All 122 MPs – comprising members of the UNF, JVP and TNA – filed an application for a Writ of Quo Warranto against the former President, who was controversially more..

Nov 24 (Island) Supreme Court fixed for calling on Dec 4, 5 and 6 the fundamental rights violation petition filed by former Navy Chief of Staff and Dy Minister (2013-2015) Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera. The action has cited as respondents, Speaker Karu Jayasuriya and Secretary General of Parliament Dhammika Dassanayake. This petition has complained that the summoning of Parliament, while the SC has issued a suspension order, on its dissolution, was arbitrary, and bad in law. more..

Nov 24 (CT) Jaffna Magistrate Sinnathurai Satheeswaran has banned the Maaveerar Thinam (Heroes Day) commemoration activities that had been set to take place on 27 Nov at a venue opposite the LTTE cemetery which is now the 512 Army Regiment Camp. Magistrate ordered that no Tamil Tiger flags, their symbols and expressions of their sentiments be displayed, to commemorate the Tiger combatants who died in the war. The private land of a person living opposite the camp more..

Nov 24 (FT) SLPP called on the UNP and other political parties represented in Parliament to assist them in forming a caretaker Govt to hold a general election. Insisting that this was the best way forward to uphold what he termed as the public mandate to resolve the current political turmoil, MP Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena stressed that a general election was essential. “We would like to invite all the political parties which are more..

Nov 25 (SO) Even as the country watches the on-going tussle for governmental power, a serious matter of national security that remains un-resolved is the mystery over the alleged attempt to assassinate Prez Sirisena and former Defence Ministry Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa. And, the Police high command still seems unable to come forward with the truth about this scandal. IGP Pujith Jayasundara’s own role in the whole murky affair, unfortunately, has not helped. more..

Nov 25 (CT) While President Maithripala Sirisena is calling for a snap Parliamentary poll, the UNP which commands the majority seats in Parliament, though not an absolute majority, is instead calling for a snap Presidential Election. Sirisena is yet to respond to the UNP’s challenge. Meanwhile, SLFP/UPFA leader Sirisena’s call for a Parliamentary Poll is supported by his newly nominated Premier, Mahinda Rajapaksa, the immediately preceding President and SLFP/UPFA leader. more..

Nov 25 (SO) Firebrand JVP trade union leader and politburo member K.D Lalkantha has constantly voiced his support for expedited general elections and a change in govt. But, as the JVP approached courts against the declaration of general elections to be held in early 2019, it caused confusion among the populace. Lalkantha however maintains that the JVP is still in favour of holding general elections despite recent objections, more..

Nov 25 (Island) President Maithripala Sirisena’s actions, as have been recently demonstrated, are nowhere near as pristine white as the national dress he favours for public occasions. Each passing day makes this more and more obvious. It is clear that when he decided that former President Mahinda Rajapaksa had a parliamentary majority on October 26 and sacked incumbent PM Ranil Wickremesinghe that he was indulging in a bout of wishful thinking. more..

Nov 25 (ST) My dear Mahinda maama, Although I last wrote to you only a month ago, I thought I must write to you again, not only to wish you for your seventy-third birthday but also to find out what exactly your plans are, after you were given a premature birthday present by Aiyo Sirisena, your friend turned foe, who turned friend again. I hope you won’t misunderstand, Mahinda maama. Most Sri Lankans — even those who vote for the Greens and the Reds — respected you as the person more..

Nov 25 (CT) Former Minister S.B. Dissanayaka claims that he masterminded the bringing together once again of President Sirisena and former President Rajapaksa, while noting that the duo will sit together and decide who should be the next Presidential candidate. Q: What was your role in the recent political marriage between President Maithripala Sirisena and former President Mahinda Rajapaksa? A. I am the one who did that. more..

Nov 25 (ST) Come hell or high water; come multiple defeats in Parliamentary votes and continuing chaos in the country, Prez Sirisena is not going to budge from disengaging from his Oct 26 putsch and re-setting the direction of this country. This country is not a President’s private coconut estate to appoint a superintendent of his personal choice. He must abide by the Constitution and if it says the President shall appoint an MP who is likely to command the majority of Parliament, more..

Nov 25 (Island) President Sirisena’s actions, as have been recently demonstrated, are nowhere near as pristine white as the national dress he favours for public occasions. Each passing day makes this more and more obvious. It is clear that when he decided that former President Mahinda Rajapaksa had a parliamentary majority on October 26 and sacked incumbent PM Ranil Wickremesinghe that he was indulging in a bout of wishful thinking. None but his blindest backers or extreme more..

Nov 25 (SO) Britain’s Fixed Term Parliament has decidedly become a Not So Fixed term Parliament. Tagged along with this fact, is an object lesson for Sri Lanka’s legislators, and indeed the voters, and those politically engaged others. Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 is an Act of the Parliament of the UK that received Royal Assent on Sept 15, 2011, introducing fixed-term elections to the Westminster Parliament for the first time. Elections must be held every 5 years under the terms more..

Nov 25 (DM) Last Monday (19), Parliament was adjourned to meet again today (23). The cost of allowing these utterly destructive, indecent meetings since 14 Nov is a colossal waste of public funds. From what the Asst. Secretary General of parliament has certified, the cost of a day’s sitting of parliament in 2017 had been a massive Rs.25.7 million. For the 04 days it was convened for no worthy purpose totalling over a 100 million rupees plus the damage caused to public property during these days. more..

Nov 25 (CT) President Sirisena, has once again clearly reiterated that he is not prepared to work with sacked PM Ranil Wickremesinghe when he declared in Colombo on Friday, his plan to write a book in Jan 2019 on his unsuccessful political marriage with Ranil. “I saw the UNP debating without the Govt in Parliament. They were treating me like a plaything. The book written by my daughter, titled Janadipathi Thaththa was more..

Nov 25 (ST) On a typical second day SSC wicket; initially the Lankans came up with heady performance thanks to a workmanlike second wicket stand of 142 runs between opener Dimuth Karunaratne and one-drop batsman Dhananjaya de Silva. The wicket carried no terrors on the easy paced wicket. It promised good batting conditions on day two in spite of the overnight rain. Yet, it was a repeat performance of the second Test at Pallekelle. Both these batsmen added 96 runs for more..

Nov 25 (Island) The oversight by Sri Lanka Cricket to book the hotel rooms in Kandy in advance during the recent Test match between Sri Lanka and England has left a bad taste in the mouth of visiting fans. After SLC’s failure, Sports Ministry intervened to vacate 80 rooms from a five star hotel in Kandy to accommodate the teams and match officials. As a result of the double booking, more than 100 fans who had paid in advance were forced out of the hotel and relocated to facilities in Dambulla. more..

Nov 25 (CI) Sure Ben Stokes and Adil Rashid were bowling aggressively either side of tea, but did Sri Lanka's batsmen really have to play the attacking shots they did? Could they not have hunkered down, left the deliveries that weren't on target, and seen out that testing passage of play? If you are wondering something along these lines after watching Sri Lanka lose their last eight wickets for 67 runs, you are not alone. more..

Nov 25 (CI) Adil Rashid said that he is relishing being part of England's three-man spin attack, with a clear remit to be the bowler who makes things happen, after producing a brilliant five-wicket haul to transform the balance of play in the third Test at Colombo. Rashid's haul of 5 for 49 in 13.5 overs tore Sri Lanka's innings apart in the hour after tea on the second day, as they slumped from 173 for 1 to 240 all out, including the loss of their last eight wickets for 53 runs. more..

Nov 25 (SO) All hotels in the city will have their usual Christmas and New Year Eve events to market the festive season on a grand scale, Colombo City Tourist Hotels Association President M. Shanthikumar said. He said except for one or two hotels which will not hold the New Year Eve parties, all others will have their usual events throughout the season from Dec 1 to the beginning of January. “No hotel has cancelled the festive season events which will take place on a grand scale throughout more..

Nov 25 (DM) Provincial Council (PC) elections should held before holding any elections, CaFFE Executive Director Keerthi Tennakoon said. He said the priority should be for the PC polls and added it was neither the prez election nor the parliamentary election. “As far as the prevailing political crisis is concerned, it is apparent that there is a need for a general election,” he said. “However, the PC election has been delaying for 14 months and the tenures of six of nine PCs has been expired,” more..

Nov 25 (TT) Lately, Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka have been losing their temper a little too often. There was that incident from March this year, when a young monk raised a battle cry against Muslim Sri Lankans. “The sword at home is no longer to cut jackfruit; so, kindly sharpen it and go,” he exhorted. In September, when three men bared their bottoms at the sacred Buddhist site of Pidurangala Rock, had pictures taken and posted them on Facebook, the Buddhist clergy erupted. more..

Nov 25 (CT) Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), former Navy Commander, Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne has been summoned by the CID to report to them on Tuesday (27), in order to record his statement. CDS has been informed on Friday, to be present at the Organized Crime Investigation Unit of the CID by 10 in the morning. Arrangements had been made for the letter to be handed over to the CDS. more..

Nov 25 (Island) Ceylinco Insurance PLC moved up the corporate ladder to the 7th position, reinforcing its dominance as an outstanding performer in the corporate sector according to Business Today Top 30 rankings for the year 2018. Once again, Ceylinco Insurance earned the honour of being the only Insurance Company amongst the top 30 companies for the year 2017/2018. Sri Lanka’s top 30 companies were feted at a ceremony held at the Shangri-La Hotel in Colombo recently. more..

Nov 25 (DN) The election petition filed in the Colombo High Court seeking a declaration that the election of 23 candidates who contested for the Maharagama Urban Council under an independent group (motorcycle symbol) is invalid and that they are disqualified was fixed for trial by the Colombo High Court. The petition was fixed for trial on Jan 10 by High Court Judge Gihan Kulatunga. This petition had been filed by 21 candidates nominated by UNP at Local Authorities Election held on Feb 10, more..

Nov 25 (ST) Amidst the doom and gloom in the country, there was some welcome news for Colombo’s stock market. The authorities are close to winning the unions over in the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) continued investment in the stock market, after a meeting on Wednesday between unions, affiliated to the National Labour Advisory Council, and Central Bank (CB) officials. CB team was led by Governor Dr. Indrajit more..

Nov 25 (AD) A 19-year-old student has been killed while another was injured in an attack carried out with a sharp object near a tuition class at Elewella in Matara. According to reports, a clash between two groups of students over a dispute had led to the stabbing. The attack was carried out by three youths who had arrived on a motorcycle and waited at a byroad near the class before assaulting the victims, who were leaving after attending a tuition class this afternoon. more..

Nov 25 (Island) Half a million Indian tourists will have visited Sri Lanka by end-December this year, and the next target is one million, said Subhash Goyal, Chairman of STIC Travel Group, the airline’s General Sales Agent (GSA). Speaking at a press conference here to celebrate the 25th anniversary of SriLankan introducing direct flights between Colombo and New Delhi, Goyal said: "If Thailand can attract one million Indian tourists every year, why not Sri Lanka? Sri Lanka has everything more..

Nov 25 (CI) SL collapsed like an origami skyscraper in a Godzilla attack, losing seven wickets in the space of 53 runs after tea, and 8 for 67 overall, as Ben Stokes delivered a searing spell of short-pitched bowling, and Adil Rashid spun it large from the other end - the pair collecting eight wickets between them in the innings. The hosts had, at one stage of the game, been looking at a score of more than 400, more..

Nov 25 (ST) With uncertainty prevailing over the incumbent Tourism Minister’s presence or lack of it, officials were awaiting the new boards being appointed next week in the midst of concerns by the industry over future bookings. There was confusion at the Tourism Ministry in the wake of the subject Minister Wasantha Senanayake claiming he would be submitting his resignation the previous week but no such letter issued until on Wednesday when it was reportedly stated he had attended more..

Nov 25 (ST) At a juncture where change is the order of the day, it is certain that there will be a different set names among the national cricket selectors. According to a senior cricket committee source, the new list of names is scheduled to be announced early next week. Replacing Graeme Labrooy at the helm as the chairman selectors will be former national fast bowler Asantha de Mel. Prior to that de Mel also served on the interim committee of the Sri Lanka cricket board, and more..

Nov 25 (ST) Police Chief Pujith Jayasundera has sent instructions to OICs island-wide to stay on maximum alert as the new govt and the ousted govt began preparations for countrywide rallies to state their respective cases over the month-long Constitutional crisis following the Oct 26 sacking of the UNF govt. With Parliament in a political gridlock, UNF is planning protest rallies and a civil disobedience campaign in principal towns, more..

Nov 25 (SO) Minister and leader of EPDP, Douglas Devananda told the media in Vavuniya that he had long ago rejected former Northern PC Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran and his policies and, therefore, there was no question of his party joining Wigneswaran’s call for unity among Tamil political parties. This was in response to Wigneswaran’s recent public statement that the EPDP would not be considered for inclusion in the broad alliance among Tamil parties. more..

Nov 25 (ST) Sri Lanka’s dilemma on allocating funds for the year 2019 continues even after the endorsement given by the cabinet of ministers newly appointed by President Maithripala Sirisena for the 3-month Vote on Account this week as it needs parliamentary approval to draw for expenditure from the consolidated fund, official sources said. According to Article 150 of the Constitution,” Govt may withdraw funds from the consolidated fund once Parliament passes a resolution or a law, more..