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. 

A lawmaker from Ranil Wickremesinghe’s UNP claimed that he was offered USD$2.8 million to cross over and support political rival Mahinda Rajapaksa, in the idst of a polticial crisis which has left southern parties vying for control of parliament.

State Minister Ranga Bandara made the claim at a meeting this morning and reportedly stated that he would go to the bribery commission.

The head of the political wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), S P Thamilselvan who was assassinated by the Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF) on November 2, 2007 was remembered today in Jaffna eleven years on. 

Members and supporters of the Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) lay flowers and placed garlands in memory his service to the Tamil struggle nation. 

Sri Lanka's Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) has summoned a human rights activist in Mullaitivu to attend their office on November 5, 2018. 

The activist, Thambaiya Logeswaran, known as Mullai Easan is reportedly a former member of the LTTE. 

The reason for the meeting is not yet known. 

A Tamil family in Mullikulam, Mannar who recently resettled into their lands, were threatened by officers from the Sri Lankan navy on October 30. 

The family were in the process of installing a fence to their land, which was released from occupation by the security forces, when navy officers arrived at the scene and stated the land belongs to them. 

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP in Batticaloa district, S Viyalendiran has defected to Rajapaksa's cabinet being appointed as the deputy minister of regional development today, Colombo papers reported. 

The defection comes as the TNA today attended the UNP's meeting stating the appointment of Rajapaksa as prime minister last week violates the constitution. 

A meeting with 118 Sri Lankan parliamentarians earlier today resolved that the appointment of Mahinda Rajapaksa was illegal and unconstitutional, according to reports in the Colombo press.

Crucially, amongst the lawmakers who met, were MPs from the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and JVP, who have thus far not pledged an allegiance to either Mahinda Rajapaksa or Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The re-emergence of Mahinda Rajapaksa has led to fears from rights activists of curbs on “free speech and human rights,” said The Economist in Thursday’s print edition.

Under the headline "Back to the bad old days", The Economist said that Rajapaksa “remains a hero to many among the island’s 70% Sinhala-speaking, Buddhist majority; his populist rule brought a ruinous quarter-century-long civil war to a brutal close”.

The European Union’s ambassador to Sri Lanka warned that Colombo may be stripped of trade concessions, following a week of political turmoil that saw Mahinda Rajapaksa, who led a military offensive that massacred tens of thousands of Tamils, appointed prime minister.

Speaking on the Generalised System of Preferences Plus (GSP+) trade concessions EU ambassador to Sri Lanka, Tung-Lai Margue, told Reuters,

“The government got GSP on the basis of certain commitments, if these commitments are not met, then we would consider withdrawal”.

In a second day of questioning on Sri Lanka at the US State Department’s Daily Press Briefing, a spokesperson said it was for the Sri Lankan “parliament to decide who the prime minister is”, as the political crisis in Colombo continued.

A suspect in the assassination of former Sri Lankan foreign minister, Lakshman Kadirgamar was acquitted by the Colombo High Court on Thursday.

The suspect, Aarokiyanathan, was acquitted after being detained for thirteen years under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).

Lakshman Kadirgamar was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1994 to 2001 and from 2001 until he was killed in 2005.