A senior US administration official confirmed that Sri Lanka’s participation in the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), which is worth several million dollars in funding, has been “put on hold” as political turmoil has rocked the island.

^{- Brannavy Jeyasundaram}

Mourning is for the living. It enables us to process grief, understand loss, and above all, invite healing. History is full of rich and meaningful mourning customs, indiscriminate of cultures, because how else could we possibly move on? In a way, mourning the loss of life promises our own survival. It is for this reason, I believe, mourning is a human right.

Two Sri Lankan police officers have been shot dead at Vavunathivu in Batticaloa, sparking a major police operation in the region.

The officers were found dead at a checkpoint they were stationed at in the town.

The bodies of the officers were discovered in the early hours of this morning and though a post-mortem is yet to be carried out, initial reports indicate that they died from gunshot wounds.

The first LTTE fighter to given his life to the Tamil struggle, Lt Shankar was remembered in Madurai, Tamil Nadu on the anniversary of his death. 

A lamp was lit at the exact moment of his death 6.05pm, during a memorial event held at the Keeraththurai Crematorium Madurai where he was cremated. 

Lt Shankar was taken to India for treatment after being injured in battle with the Sri Lankan military. He succombed to his injuries and died in Madurai. 

Ten cattle farmers were arrested by Forest Department authorities on November 27 in the Batticaloa border villages of Mayilaththaamadu and Maathavanai. 

Authorities accused the farmers of allegedly destroying forest land in Amparai. 

The farmers were taken to the Department's office in Polunaruwa and charged before being released on bail. 

A petrol bomb was thrown at a house in Jaffna during the early hours of Thursday morning. 

A gang of 8 men were seen throwing the petrol bomb towards the house, before setting alight two auto rickshaws and two motorbikes. 

The police are reportedly investigating the matter. 

The leader of the United National Party (UNP), Ranil Wickremesinghe said he was to register a new alliance "soon". 

“We will soon register a new political alliance which we will form together with all parties who stands for democracy and rule of law in the country,” Wickremesinghe was quoted by the Daily Mirror as saying. 

“The objective of this alliance is to defeat and push those who stage coups out of politics."

Sri Lanka’s parliament has passed a motion earlier today voting to cut the budget for the Prime Minister’s office, in a blow to Mahinda Rajapaksa and his supporters after they boycotted the sitting.

The motion, which was passed 123 to none, means that Rajapaksa will not be able to use government finances for day-to-day expenditure. 

“This means the prime minister will be dysfunctional,” said the UNP’s Ravi Karunayake. “We will bring a similar motion tomorrow to cut down the expenditure of all other ministers,” he added.

Rajapaksa meanwhile denounced the move as “illegal” stating that the “Speaker is acting completely illegally and arbitrarily”.