Over USD$1 billion of development aid destined for Sri Lanka from the United States and Japan has been frozen due to the political turmoil on the island, claimed Ranil Wickremesinghe this week.

"Countries are sensitive, they have concerns (about a government led by Rajapaksa) democratic countries have concerns," claimed Wickremesinghe, who is tussling with Mahinda Rajapaksa for the position of Sri Lankan prime minister.

Sri Lanka’s president Maithripala Sirisena has ordered parliament to reconvene on November 14th, more than two weeks since he appointed Mahinda Rajapaksa as prime minister.

An upcoming posthumous biography of the widely acclaimed journalist Marie Colvin, Lindsey Hilsum’s ‘In Extremis: The Life and Death of the War Correspondent Marie Colvin is an extraordinary account of one reporter’s fearless and ultimately fatal dedication,” includes accounts of Colvin's time in the defacto state of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam during their ceasefire with the Sri Lankan government.

Amidst the ongoing political crisis in Colombo, Tamil families of the disappeared spoke about their concerns over security in the North-East, following a possible return to a Mahinda Rajapaksa led government.

The Sri Lankan air force continued with its militarisation of Vavuniya, despite calls for the military to vacate the region, with a series of events to mark its 40^th anniversary.

A Tamil youth from Mullaitivu was reported missing by his parents on Saturday, after disappearing while travelling to Colombo earlier this week.

Kilinochchi’s local community came together to clear the destroyed LTTE cemetery (thuyilum illam) at Kanagapuram on Saturday.

Senior US policy figure, Samantha Power urged the US to consider suspending aid and imposing targeted sanctions on Sri Lanka, in response to the island’s ongoing political crisis.

“The dangers of [Sri Lanka] constitutional crisis are clear: violence is possible & Rajapaksa’s return to power ‘will likely end flagging efforts at ethnic reconciliation,’” Power posted on Twitter, quoting from an International Crisis Group (ICG) briefing.

Condemning the economic policies of his rival, UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, Mahinda Rajapaksa pledged to bring down the cost of living in Sri Lanka with reductions in the cost of basic food items and fuel. 

Rajapaksa, who was appointed as prime minister by President Sirisena last week following the shock sacking of Ranil, has also taken the role of finance minister in his government. 

Over 3000 Tamil Nadu fishermen were chased away by the Sri Lankan navy on Thursday, the PTI reports. 

The navy personnel threw stones at the fishermen and cut the nets of over 50 vessels, the Rameswaram Fishermen Association president P Sesuraja told the news wire. 

The incident took place near Katchatheevu island. 

The fishermen were forced to return without a catch during the early hours. 

The UN Secretary General, António Guterres urged the Sri Lankan president to allow "parliament to vote as soon as possible," and offered to facilitate dialogue between "all parties" in a phonecall on Thursday. 

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has announced its decision to support the UNP's no-confidence motion against Mahinda Rajapaksa in parliament, arguing that remainjng "neutral in such a situation, would pave the way for acheiving an undemocratic end by force."  

The UNP brought the motion a week after President Sirisena sacked the UNP leader, Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister and appointed the former president, Mahinda Rajapaksa in his place.