Nov 3 (AD) The UPFA Parliamentary group has decided to appoint MP Dinesh Gunawardena as the Leader of the House. The decision was made during a special discussion held under the patronage of Mahinda Rajapaksa. Govt co-spokesman MP Keheliya Rambukwella said the UPFA has a 113 majority in Parliament. He noted the decision to convene Parliament is a decision the President must make adding that the agenda more..

Nov 3 (FT) A Symposium on Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act Reports discussed President’s Counsel Faiz Mustapha’s MMDA reports, and Retired Justice Saleem Marsoof’s MMDA reports. This was held at Hotel Marine Drive Wellawatte on 20 Oct, organised by Colombo District Mosque Federation. It was held to reach a consensus on the differences of view that prevail in the Report. Symposium focused on the contentious issues in the Report. The participants were invited from among the cross section of more..

Nov 3 (NR) The UNP says Speaker of House Karu Jayasuriya has the power to convene Parliament on Wednesday based on the statement made by President Sirisena. UNP MP SM Marikkar refuted claims made by the JO regarding reconvening Parliament. MP noted those who claimed they had a 113 majority began behaving destructively after the UNP showed they had a 118 majority. MP Marikkar said the Speaker informed the UNP yesterday that the President agreed to reconvene more..

Nov 3 (CT) Ceylon Teachers' Services Union (CTSU) said that teachers all over the country are facing a huge problem with the work load. Chief Secretary of the CTSU Mahinda Jayasinghe said that teachers have been overwhelmed with paperwork and often times to even concentrate on teaching. “Parents blame teachers that children are not encouraged in extracurricular activities and that practical more..

Nov 3 (DM) The United National Party (UNP) today said the decision made by the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) to appoint its MP Dinesh Gunawardane as the Leader of House was illegal. In a statement, MP Gayantha Karunathilake said the approval of the majority is needed to make any appointment in Parliament. “The announcement of appointing a certain individual from a minority party is against the democracy and also the tradition of parliament,” he said. more..

Nov 3 (GDI) To reduce the loss of lives associated with tsunamis, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has conducted tsunami drills in 5 schools in Sri Lanka recently.These drills are part of 90 drills conducted in 90 schools across 18 countries including: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor Leste, Tonga, Vanuatu and Viet Nam. more..

Nov 3 (AD) TNA says it will vote in favour of the No Confidence Motion to be brought against the Govt headed by Mahinda Rajapaksa who has been unconstitutionally and illegally appointed as Prime Minister. Party Leaders’ meeting of the constituent parties of the TNA took place at 5 p.m. yesterday. The TNA said it arrived at the following decisions concerning the actions taken by Prez Sirisena on 26th of Oct after the more..

Nov 3 (DM) Singer SL announced the appointment of Mahesh Wijewardene an Executive Director/CEO with effect from Nov 1, 2018. Wijewardene is replacing Asoka Pieris, who was Singer Sri Lanka CEO for little over eight years. A stock exchange filing by the company said Pieris relinquished his duties with effect from Oct 31, 2018. Wijewardena joined the Singer SL board as an Alternate Director on 2006 and was appointed as the Chief Operating Officer with effect from July 1, 2018. more..

Nov 3 (AD) A low pressure area is likely to develop over the sea area south-east of the Bay of Bengal around today while there is a possibility of it moving towards SL while deepening later. General public, naval and fishing communities are requested to be attentive about advisories issued by Dept of Meteorology in this regard further. Showers or thunder showers will occur at times in Northern, Eastern, North-central and Uva provinces. while showers or thundershowers will occur more..

Nov 3 (TN) It is monsoon season in Colombo, SL’s commercial capital, and dark clouds hang over the city. As the skies open, people dash for cover from the downpour amid flashes of thunder. But it is a political storm that has the country on edge. A constitutional crisis has one of Asia’s oldest democracies teetering on the brink of the first extralegal transition of power in its history. Two men currently claim the title of prime minister, more..

Nov 4 (SO) The faces may be those of veteran politicians, familiar leaders, but, the political combination is new. The country’s two chief political actors, President and PM, are, today, in a new political realignment, and their respective offices of state are newly re-defined in their constitutional powers and roles. Previously, under the Second Republican Constitution of 1978, the President was all-powerful and, its office long-maligned, for the autocratic rule it had engendered. more..

Nov 4 (Island) There has been no good news up to the time of writing that the constitutional/political crisis unleashed on the country on the evening of Oct 26 by Prez Sirisena is abating after the passage of over a week. Sirisena who scored a stunning electoral victory in January 2015, toppling the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime as a common candidate of political parties and civil society determined to oust an authoritarian leader tainted by a welter of corruption allegations, more..

Nov 4 (SO) Addressing one of the major issues that the UK faces, PM Theresa May has shown interest in appointing a dedicated minister for adult loneliness, foreign media reported some months ago. The incident took place far away from the little Indian Ocean island, yet it has a very strong connection with it. The population aging process is real and impacts every market and industry. Sri Lanka is aging. more..

Nov 4 (CT) Since the enactment of the 2nd Republican Constitution of 1978, Parliament has been prorogued 4 times, including the current prorogation, for seeming political expediency of the Executive and not due to a threat to national security. Prorogation should be a weapon used when democracy is threatened and not otherwise. However, in at least two critical stages of the country when democracy was threatened, Parliament was never prorogued. more..

Nov 4 (ST) Musical chairs is a party game but what we see today is a cacophony of voices between supporters of competing political parties egging on two leaders trying to sit in one seat to the derision of the world. This is no fun time in Sri Lanka. The country has been turned topsy-turvy by President Maithripala Sirisena’s impulsive decision on October 26 through sheer political expediency to sack the Prime Minister and appoint a new one without recourse to Parliament. more..

Nov 4 (CT) Convenor of the Movement for Just Society Prof. Sarath Wijesuriya opined that former Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe had two traits that when he is in power he exudes toughness and while out of power he is democratic but they are two sides of the same coin. Q: The topic of discussion is that Prez Sirisena’s decision to remove Ranil Wickremesinghe from Prime Ministership and appoint Mahinda Rajapaksa instead was more..

Nov 4 (Island) Since Jan 9, 2015, we have been witnessing what is nothing short of a political miracle. A powerful President, defeated by a combination of local political parties and foreign interests defeated at a Prez election through the manipulation of block votes. Having been first deprived of his presidency, within a matter of days he was deprived of the leadership of his political party as well. Thus over a short period of time, he was reduced from being the leader of one of more..

Nov 4 (ST) All hell had broken loose in Kussi Amma Sera’s kitchen. Amidst the clatter of pots and pans and a smoke-filled kitchen, there was a crisis. KAS had apparently got the condiments wrong, with some curries having too much chillie while the others had a liberal dose of salt, nay … loads of salt. The chaos in the kitchen was akin to the chaos in the country. Kussi Amma Sera’s cooking this morning was a recipe for disaster. “Sariyana karachchal (lot of problems),” more..

Nov 4 (ST) Aiyo Sirisena, I know you are receiving many letters these days- and writing many too, dismissing PMs on a whim-but I thought I must write one to you too, just to clarify a few issues. Please pardon me for calling you Aiyo Sirisena, but I’m really not sure whether you are the dear Maithri we knew before. Please permit me to explain. The dear Maithri that the majority of people voted for three years ago, promised to abolish the all-powerful Presidency as we know it. more..

Nov 4 (SO) It takes a strange sort of political animal to forget the vox populi — the people’s voice — when protesting at the drop of a hat, while gnashing teeth for democracy. The voice of the people, is the voice of God. So said the Romans. In February of this year, this voice was heard in the heartlands and borderlands alike in this country. 40.7% voted for the Mahinda Rajapaksa led SLPP. 12.1% voted for the UPFA led by the President at Local Govt elections. It means a majority — a real, calculable more..

Nov 4 (CT) Sri Lanka’s unprecedented political crisis is going into its second week with little resolved and only further troubles visible on the horizon. It is unprecedented because this is the first time since independence that a PM has been removed without the dissolution of Parliament or a loss of a vote of confidence in the House or the resignation of the incumbent. What Prez Sirisena has done in sacking more..

Nov 4 (ST) Two months after the ICC instructed Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) to appoint a management committee to assist the Competent Authority in running cricket matters in the interim, Sports Minister Faiszer Musthapha is expected to make the appointment on Monday. He said that a 5-member committee will be appointed in keeping with the ICC requests. Minister did not reveal the names of those who will form the five-member committee but said they are five individuals of social standing more..

Nov 4 (Island) Veteran Rangana Herath will bring the curtains down on his excellent cricket career next week in Galle with Sri Lanka taking on England in the first match of the three game series. These are troubled times for Sri Lankan cricket with our stars involved in many an on and off the field controversies. At such a time, Herath gives us an opportunity to celebrate an outstanding career – a gentleman to the core and a perfect role model for the youngsters. more..

Nov 4 (Wisden) Based on the hosts’ recent form, you would be forgiven for thinking England’s upcoming Test series in Sri Lanka will be a walkover for Joe Root’s men. Not only are they coming off the back of a dismal showing at the Asia Cup – where they suffered embarrassing defeats to Bangladesh and Afghanistan – and losing comfortably against England in the ODI and T20 series, SL don’t even know their best team more..

Nov 4 (ST) Dinuka Karunaratna annexed the men’s singles title while Thilini Hendahewa won the women’s singles at the 66th National Badminton Championships concluded at the Royal Sport Complex yesterday. After his brother Niluka–the undisputed local star crashed out from the quarter-finals losing to Buwaneka Gunatilleka, Dinuka made sure that the title remains with the Karunaratna’s winning the final (2-0) beating Rantushka Sasidu (21/11,21/15) with ease. more..

Nov 4 (ST) Four new records were established on the third day of the National and Junior National Swimming Championship 2018 at the Sugathadasa Swimming Complex yesterday. Akithmi Wasalathanthri lowered the record set by Ganga Seneviratne of Vishaka Vidyalaya, with a time of 1:12.99mts last year in the Girls Under 15 100metre Back Stroke event with a new time of 1:12.64mts. Second record of the day was by Adithya Perera of De Mazenod College in the Boys Under 15 more..

Nov 4 (ST) With the country thrown into uncertain gear following widespread political developments, int'l community including rating agencies this week weighed in with the negativity of the move while new PM Mahinda Rajapaksa, who also holds the finance portfolio, announced a set of concessions reaching out to the middle class and lower segments of the population which has faced the brunt of a current economic crisis. more..

Nov 4 (SO) In the absence of their own kind to bowl what is called leg-spin or leg-breaks, SL’s women cricketers had to face up to the men to prepare for the T20 World Cup in the West Indies starting on Nov 10. The women’s team with coach Harsha de Silva left for the Caribbean on Wednesday night and will take on England in the opening match on Nov 10. It is not known to what extend the formula could work but De Silva contends it was the best they did under the circumstances. more..

Nov 4 (CT) Sri Lanka Under 19’s levelled the series 1-1 in the Youth One Day series against Bangladesh Under 19’s yesterday. Sri Lanka managed to beat Bangladesh by a margin of 8 wickets in the Third Youth ODI at the Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium. The match started late and the game had to be restricted to 45 overs per side. Sri Lanka decided to put Bangladesh into bat after winning the toss. Match was further reduced to 41 overs due to persisting rain. more..

Nov 4 (ST) With the unexpected and sudden political crisis along with the prorogation of Parliament till Nov 16, Treasury officials were in a quandary in considering the option of preparing a vote on account or interim Budget, instead of the calendar year Budget 2019. Prof G.L. Pieris, Chairman of SLPP of newly appointed PM Rajapaksa told newsmen that they were planning a vote-on-account after Parliament was suspended until Nov 16. more..

Nov 4 (CI) James Anderson has admitted he feels he hasn't quite cracked the challenge of bowling with the Kookaburra ball. Despite recently overtaking Glenn McGrath to become the most prolific seam bowler in the history of Test cricket, Anderson accepts that his record at home - where he has claimed 368 Test wickets as a cost of 23.76 apiece - is far better than his record away (196 wickets at 32.62). One of the reasons for that home success is the use of the Duke's ball, more..

Nov 4 (CT) SLIIT successfully concluded for the 7th consecutive year the much-awaited annual CODEFEST, a Nationwide Software Competition recently, a media release stated. Held in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, SLIIT’s Faculty of Computing conducts CODEFEST to inspire the next generation of software developers, innovators and other ICT enthusiasts. Through CODEFEST, SLIIT also aims to elevate the ICT knowledge of the nation, towards recognition more..

Nov 4 (ST) When asked if Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) would have its own punitive measures with retrospective effect or would it be a case of going by the ICC recommendations with regard to pending cricket corruption allegations, SLC’s CEO Ashley de Silva said, “right now we will abide by the ICC recommendations”. De Silva said that Sri Lanka does not have laws to punish cricket’s wrongdoers in a court of law and the administrators are more..

Nov 4 (SO) The adverse effects of climate change, such as floods, erosion and landslides are increasingly hitting businesses in coastal regions. A new project lead by UNEP DTU Partnership was initiated last week in Colombo, seeking to help businesses adapt to these effects, to create a positive impact throughout the country. The project aims to develop an innovative and sustainable way to build businesses’ adaptation capacity in the garment sector that can later be replicated more..

Nov 4 (ST) Share prices at the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) will react next week according to how SL’s political game is played. Analysts said retail trader sentiments will solely centre on which political party will command staying power. The CSE saw retailers flocking in this week, buying large to mid cap stocks with former Prez Rajapaksa’s rise as the Premier, while foreigners sold. Retail trader sentiment is high after years of being in the doldrums despite CSE dropping on Friday. more..

Nov 4 (CT) An ACMC National List MP’s request for a Cabinet portfolio was turned down at the Presidential Secretariat and he was asked to bring his Party leader Rishad Bathiudeen with him or else not to come. V. C. Ismail, who represent the Amparai District, had visited the Presidential Secretariat yesterday intending to ask for a Cabinet portfolio. Presidential Secretariat also confirmed that there was a Cabinet appointment more..

Nov 4 (CT) Central Bank of SL's lending to the Govt of Sri Lanka (GoSL), commonly known as money printing, increased by 36.61 per cent (Rs 32,014 million) to Rs 119,463.60 million since Mahinda Rajapaksa assumed duties as the country’s new Prime Minister and Finance Minister, after markets closed last Friday (26), data showed. In contrast, a year ago on 2 Nov, 2017, MP was a mere Rs 33,822.04 million; a year-on-year (YoY) increase of 253.21% (Rs 85,641.56 million) since. more..

Nov 4 (CT) Former Speaker W.J.M. Lokubandara claimed that the 19th Amendment hasn’t even touched on the 70th Article to the Constitution which gives power to the President to prorogue Parliament, not just for two weeks, but even for a maximum of two months. He further said, “Only the President has the power to prorogue and reconvene a fresh Parliamentary session according to the Constitution, and the current President still carries the powers similar to those of former Presidents more..

Nov 4 (ST) The TNA has resolved to vote in support of the no-confidence motion against the Govt headed by Mahinda Rajapaksa, who, it says, has been unconstitutionally and illegally appointed as PM. The move came as 118 MPs from all parties opposed to the prorogation of the 225 seat Parliament met Speaker Karu Jayasuriya yesterday and reiterated a call to reconvene Parliament by next Wednesday (7). more..