Nov 10 (FT) Sentiment surrounding the economy witnessed a marginal uptick in October, according to the latest LMD-Nielsen Business Confidence (BCI) poll. Survey reveals that eight percent of corporate respondents expect the economy to improve over the next 12 months compared to 5% in September. However, a majority (60%) of businesspeople surveyed expect conditions to deteriorate with one executive lamenting: �There is nothing positive to speak of with regard to the economy. more..

Nov 10 (PMD) Prez Sirisena has said a special program will be implemented to resolve the issues of the gem and jewellery industry, including illegal mining, trade of fake gem stones and issuing mining licenses, the President�s Media Unit said. Prez Sirisena has also pledged to appoint a Cabinet sub-committee to tackle these issues, the statement said. He made these remarks during a meeting held at the Presidential Secretariat to discuss issues prevailing in the gem and jewellery industry. more..

Nov 10 (CT) Colombo Fort Chief Magistrate Ranga Dissanayaka yesterday, said that currently there was an issue between the AG and the CID regarding the failure to apprehend Chief of Defence Staff Ravindra Wijegunaratna. He made this remark when the case related to Wijegunaratna having allegedly enabled former Navy Lieutenant Commander Prasad Hettiarachchi, aka Navy Sampath, to leave the country, more..

Nov 10 (CT) Sri Lanka Under 19�s beat Bangladesh Under 19�s by 19 runs according DLS method in the fifth and last Youth OD to win the series 2-1 at the Chilaw Marians grounds Katunayake yesterday. The match was delayed and play started at 10:15 a.m. at 50overs per side. Bangladesh won the toss and put SL in who went on to score 204 runs for 7 wickets in their 50 overs. Left hander opener Kamil Mishara scored 83 off 135 balls with 2 boundaries. Sonal Dinusha (28), Ravindu Rashantha (22), more..

Nov 10 (CT) It�s not that long ago Coach Chandika Hathurusinghe mocked Angelo Mathews about his poor running between wickets, sacked him from his limited over captaincy, and dropped him from the team. But, yesterday he had a change of heart and he was happy the way he contributed with half centuries in either inning and said he can be in level as Virat Kohli or Steven Smith in batting. �I am very happy with the way he contributed. The way, he applied himself. more..

Nov 10 (FT) Regardless of any inconsistency in the conventional practice of and within the Parliament, as per the Standing Orders, when it comes to deciding on the agenda, the Parliament, through the Speaker and the Party Leaders, has the authority to approve the agenda, JVP said. JVP reiterated that they accepted Speaker Karu Jayasuriya�s stand on resolving governmental issues in Parliament. more..

Nov 10 (Island) Speaker Karu Jayasuriya would soon have to answer for his unconstitutional behaviour, President Sirisena told the SLFP working committee on Thursday, General Secretary of the SLFP Professor Rohana Piyadasa said. President also assured that he would not dissolve Parliament until its five- year tenure was over because there were a lot of first time MPs facing many issues, including that they would not be entitled to pension in the event of an early dissolution. more..

Nov 10 (DM) Nearly 647 people were affected while six others had gone missing when the bunds surrounding six irrigation tanks in the Mullaitivu district had breached because of the heavy rains that lashed the area. The DMC said personnel from the Army and the Air force were engaged in rescue operations. In the meantime, the residents in Kumalamunai said no information had been received regarding a father, mother and a child who lived close to the wewa and no information about more..

Nov 10 (Island) Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa had agreed to review the Free Trade Agreement with Singapore and not to proceed with the counter terrorism bill, Secretary of the GMOA Dr Haritha Aluthge said. The GMOA Secretary said that when representatives of their union met the PM at his office in Colombo yesterday morning, Rajapaksa had agreed to several reforms pertaining to govt doctors and the public service. more..

Nov 10 (CT) Skipper Dinesh Chandimal had a groin injury during the first Test where he batted low down in the order and did not field in the second innings. Coach Chandika Hathurusinghe said that Chandimal has a grade one injury and could be out for 10-14 days and the second Test is set to start in Kandy on the 14th. �Chandimal�s injury is a grade one, it will take ten to 14 days so it will be touch and go for the second Test match. The danger for us is that if he is not 100% fit, he may not play. more..

Nov 10 (AFP) United States voiced concern Friday after SL�s president ordered snap elections, as lawmakers warned that US aid was in question. Prez Sirisena, who two weeks ago sparked a crisis by sacking the prime minister and installing former authoritarian leader Mahinda Rajapakse in his place, signed a decree for elections to be held Jan 5, nearly two years ahead of schedule. �The US is deeply concerned by news the SL parliament will be dissolved, further deepening political crisis� more..

Nov 10 (FT) Going back on his earlier rhetoric, Minister Bandula Gunawardana ruled out revoking any signed free trade deals or stopping ongoing negotiations with trade partners, including India and China, instead siding with a balanced approach beneficial to both countries. Striking a more moderate tone, he said that even making a change to the Singapore Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which was signed in January, more..

Nov 10 (DN) A full audit should be conducted before the commencement of work at the Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine Ministry, newly appointed Minister Chamal Rajapaksa said. Assuming duties at his Ministry in Colombo yesterday, he said that an audit should be conducted on the work carried out by the ministry, including media reports published on various alleged malpractices in the Ministry. �An independent full audit should be conducted,� he said. more..

Nov 10 (DN) TNPF Leader Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam urged the TNA to be neutral without being partisan to either side for the sake of Tamil people in the North and the East. He said the present developments taking place in the country is part of a geopolitical scenario and the TNA should not get into this tangle. Ponnambalam was of the view that the TNA should not think of the benefits of the party hierarchy when a decision is taken with regard to the present situation in the country. more..

Nov 10 (Island) The govt says when Parliament is reconvened on 14 Nov. after prorogation, no vote will be taken to decide whether Mahinda Rajapaksa commands the confidence of the House, though the European Union (EU) and two non-EU nations-Norway and Switzerland has made a request to effect. These nations warned of disastrous consequences unless the voting took place on the same day. more..

Nov 10 (LBO) Foreign selling of SL�s stocks and bonds continued at a brisk pace in the second full week of SL�s constitutional crisis. Net foreign selling of govt securities was Rs9.9bn for the week, while net foreign selling of equities was Rs3.9bn. In the previous week the figures were strikingly similar with a net Rs10.9bn coming out of the bond market and Rs3.8bn coming out of the stock market. Since the start of the constitutional crisis a total of Rs28.5bn has fled SL�s stock and bond markets. more..

Nov 10 (EN) Prez appointed 7 new cabinet ministers Friday evening, hours before dissolving parliament. Johnston Fernando was named Trade, Consumer Affairs, Co-operative and Christian Religious Affairs Minister.C. B. Ratnayake was appointed Post and Telecom Minister, while Udaya Gammanpila was anmed Buddha Sasana and Religious Affairs Minister, S. M. Chandrasena Plantation Industries Minister and M. L. A. M Hizbullah City Planning and Water Supply Ministry. more..

Nov 10 (FT) In an act that smacked of political desperation after it became evident his party may not be able to show majority in the House, Prez Sirisena yesterday dissolved Parliament with elections likely to be held on 5 Jan. Gazette, which was sent by the Attorney General�s Department on Friday evening, was signed by Prez Sirisena, confirmed a top Minister. The nomination period will be from 19 Nov to 26 Nov, more..

Nov 11 (SO) What many had feared was developing into an unseemly contestation over power, has now been swiftly diverted to the best possible recourse: a call for the people to vote and decide on their national govt. While some might blame him for the rapidity with which he acted, Prez Sirisena has thought fit to call early general elections as the best means to smooth over the current fight over the reins of national govt. It is clear that the President has dissolved Parliament in anticipation of more..

Nov 11 (CT) After a fortnight of impasse, beginning on 26 Oct with the sacking of UNP/UNF Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe as Premier and a largely UNP-dominated Cabinet, followed by the changing of convening dates of Parliament twice, a Guinness Book of Records entry, by SLFP/UPFA Leader and Prez Sirisena, his last trump was the dissolution of Parliament on Friday and calling for polls on 5 Jan. What brought an end to the crisis of 26 Oct by the dissolution of Parliament was the inability of more..

Nov 11 (SO) Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, who was at one time a frontline speaker for the JO, responds to allegations against the take over of govt, cross overs, and prorogation of Parliament, while also outlining the SLPP�s stance in a future election. �The govt of Ranil Wickremesinghe justified the sale of the assets to repay debts, but when the Hambantota Port was leased out, those funds were never used to more..

Nov 11 (Island) The president of this so-called Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka has thrown the country from the frying pan into the fire. It is now abundantly clear, if clarity was indeed needed, that when Maithripala Sirisena decided on October 25 that then PM Ranil Wickremesinghe did not enjoy majority support in the 225-member parliament, and that former President Mahinda Rajapaksa had those numbers, that he was well aware there was a deficit. more..

Nov 11 (CI) For all its imposing ramparts, ownership of the fort in Galle has changed hands often over the years. At one stage the Dutch, struggling with the attentions of the French closer to home, invited the British to look after it for a while in the expectation they would retake control when resources allowed. It was a bit like asking the fox to mind your chickens while you have a snooze. SL were almost as obliging at moments during the second Test as the Dutch had been at the end of 18th century. more..

Nov 11 (SO) UNP MP, Dr. Harsha De Silva said, the unity of the UNP will be shown at the next Parliament sitting and declined to accept the story that a large group of UNPers would cross over and join the Govt. Q: Although the President has appointed a new PM, the UNP says, Ranil Wickremesinghe is still the PM of the country. Can there be two PMs at the same time? A: Speaker has very clearly given a ruling that he recognises more..

Nov 11 (ST) Aiyo Sirisena, I am writing to you for the second time in two weeks. That is unprecedented but then, what we are realising is that you are an unprecedented President. With you in charge, everything seems to happen on Friday nights, when the nation shuts down for the weekend � and this happened this Friday as well. Two weeks ago, on a Friday night, you sacked the Green Man as PM, ignoring every rule in the book. All hell broke loose because, even though our country�s more..

Nov 11 (ST) It was an expression of outrage by Seeni Bola, my retired banker friend that formed the basis of today�s discussion. In an early morning call on a gloomy Thursday (it had been raining cats and dogs all week adding to the depressed state of the country), he sought to discuss the crisis in the country and the Bahubootha viyavasthava (ridiculous Constitution). At that time, Kussi Amma Sera and her friends were in the kitchen struggling for the second week in succession to more..

Nov 11 (CI) Moeen Ali has not taken his chance at No. 3 and could be replaced by either Jos Buttler or Ben Stokes for the second Test in Pallekele, according to England coach, Trevor Bayliss. Moeen scored just three runs at Galle and suffered a golden duck in the first innings, leaving him with an average of 14.50 after six Test innings at No. 3. Four of those six innings have been single-figure scores, though he did make a first-innings half-century in the final Test of the English summer against India. more..

Nov 11 (SO) When Parliament was dissolved with effect from midnight on Friday (9), the people were given the opportunity to revert to the status quo ante, predating 8 Jan 2015. On the face of it, this statement may sound curious to some, and perhaps a trifle unclear to others. But yet, most Sri Lankans would rejoice that the people have the right to choose their govt as a result of the dissolution, and the numbers at the last LG elections would certainly point to that. more..

Nov 11 (CT) Parliament is dissolved and Sri Lankans are asked to vote in a General Election early next year, according to a mid-night Gazette issued by Prez Sirisena, but whether his actions are legal or not are being disputed. This country�s worst ever political crisis is now in its third week with no tangible result in sight. The crisis was triggered by Sirisena sacking PM Ranil Wickremesinghe and replacing him with former Prez Rajapaksa. more..

Nov 11 (ST) What a turn of events � again on a Friday night. The good governance President first suspends an elected Parliament and then disbands it when, after a fortnight�s search, he cannot find a majority that would justify his decision to sack his PM. What more will unfold in this confused State, heaven knows. The Constitution, the basic law of this country, has been turned into a mere scrap of paper. And the one who boasted all over the countryside, if not the world of being more..

Nov 11 (Island) President unexpectedly dissolved Parliament on Friday night. The proclamation dissolving Parliament states that it was done by virtue of the powers vested in the President by Article 33(2)(c) of the Constitution and Article 70(5) which should be read with Article 62(2). What Article 33(2)(c) - which was a new provision introduced into the Constitution by the 19th Amendment - states is that the President will have the power to summon, prorogue & dissolve Parliament in addition to more..

Nov 11 (ST) Doesn�t Rangana Herath deserve better? Nineteen years of international cricket and 433 wickets in Tests, did he not merit a better send-off than a 211-run thrashing in one of Sri Lanka�s favourite grounds? He is, after all, the highest global wicket taker among left-arm bowlers and the man who lifted his team to many a memorable win after the Muttiah Muralidaran era. Yes, he should have had a better send off. more..

Nov 11 (ST) SL�s city airport, the Ratmalana Airport has called for bids from international corporate jets seeking to appoint one fixed based operator for a five year period, operating from this airport. The Request for Proposals (RFPs) were called around mid October and will be closed by Nov 31, the airport�s Manager Aruna Rajapaksa said. He noted that since SL lacks having an int'l corporate jet operator, Ratmalana Airport could service this need as a location which is to the SL�s advantage. more..

Nov 11 (CT) Dr. Devanesan Nesiah hails from a family of academics in Jaffna and remained a humble and an efficient civil servant in the SL Administrative Service. 83-year-old Dr. Nesiah�s decision to hand back the country�s second highest National Award Deshamanya which means the Pride of the Nation expressing his disappointment over the present political situation has highlighted how far the highly reputed right-thinking citizens of the country have been disturbed over the present state more..

Nov 11 (PTI) TN political parties, including the main opposition DMK termed the dissolution of the SL Parliament as murder of democracy. They also sought the Central govt�s intervention to ensure that the security of India and the welfare of the Tamil people in the island nation are protected. DMK chief M K Stalin said the dissolution of parliament was trampling of the Constitution and atrocious since SL constitution says more..

Nov 11 (Island) The stage was set at Galle to welcome the touring English team for the first of the three-Test series - a veritable test for the tourists. After all, of the 31 Tests played at this venue so far, Sri Lanka has won 19. These wins have been mainly due to local spinners manipulating pitches leaning heavily to spin that are conducive to their trade. The SL selectors, aware of the occasion of this being Rangana Herath�s farewell Test, included Akila Dananjaya, Dilruwan Perera more..

Nov 11 (SO) It is undoubtedly one of the most patronized sports in the country where the elite and the commoners mix in a highly charged atmosphere, but its keepers are fighting a different battle behind closed doors against what they claim is the limited resources to take rugby forward. Sports Minister Faiszer Musthapha told the sport�s office-bearers in no uncertain terms that his plate was already full and he had no desire to scrum down in a robust sport he knows very little about leave alone more..

Nov 11 (ST) An ugly personality clash between the Head Coach and Team Manager has now reached a boiling point, with the manager relinquishing his duties with immediate effect, accusing the coach of conspiring to get rid of him. Charith Senanayake, former SL cricketer, replaced Asanka Gurusinha, who took up the position of Chief Cricket Operating Officer as team manager in July, in time for the South African series. more..

Nov 11 (ST) Lyceum International School, Wattala heads the Medal Count with 34 medals at the end of the first day of the 24th Inter Int'l Schools� Swimming Championship 2018 commenced at the Sugathadasa Swimming Complex yesterday. Lyceum Wattala, have a clear lead of 10 medals over their nearest rivals Lyceum Nugegoda. Gateway Colombo and Lyceum Panadura occupy the third and fourth spots with 22 and 11 medals respectively. The medals tally reads as: more..