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Protesters demanding an end to army rule in Egypt sought on Saturday to build on momentum from a mass protest, bedding down in Cairo's Tahrir Square for a ninth day just two days before the first free parliamentary polls in living memory. Thousands stayed in the square late into the night on Friday, aiming to keep up pressure on the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to further speed up a transition to democracy which they believe requires the generals to leave power now. The political turmoil and violence - 41 people were killed this week - are compounding the economic woes of a country where livelihoods have been battered by a year of turmoil that started with the toppling of Hosni Mubarak in February by mass protests. The generals have shown no sign of giving way to the demand to quit now. Instead, they have responded by promising that a new president would be elected by mid-2012, sooner than previously announced, and appointing a new prime minister to head a "n

Showers or thunder showers will continue over most parts of the country today (November 26) and seas are expected to be rough while the low pressure area is moving away, the Department of Meteorology stated. Ada derana

 Retailers trying to woo shoppers with early deals and longer hours this week, and throughout the holiday season, could be putting their profits at risk as shoppers search for bargains and not much else. Wal-Mart Stores Inc, Toys R Us and outlet malls are among those hoping that big discounts on Thursday night will attract shoppers hungry for deals after Thanksgiving meals. Others such as Target Corp, Macy's Inc and Kohl's Corp will join the fray during the wee hours of Friday, opening their doors hours earlier than in past years. The early sales, along with more advertising spending, show that retailers are taking no chances as they fight for their share of the limited amount shoppers plan to spend. The moves, which include adding staff, securing bargains on video games and offering free shipping, also can eat into profit margins. Gross margins at U.S. department stores and broadline chains are expected to fall an average of 0.4 percentage points this year because

Sarath Fonseka was found guilty by a divided decision in the case regarding the ‘White Flag’ statement and sentenced to 3 years in prison by the Colombo High Court today (November 18). The verdict divided 2:1 was given by the High Court bench, headed by Judge Deepali Wijesundara and comprising Judges DMPD Waraweva and Zulfiqar Razin. Justice Waraweva giving his judgment deliberated that Fonseka was not guilty on all three charges while Justice Wijesundara and Rashim found Fonseka guilty of the first charge, of inciting violence through his statement, and found him not guilty on the second and third charges. Sarath Fonseka, who is currently serving a 30-month jail term imposed by a court martial, was sentenced to three years in prison and fined Rs.5,000. The former Army Commander was accused of inciting violence by, in an interview given to the Sunday Leader, alleging that Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa gave an illegal order not to accommodate any LTTE cadres attempting to

It was a telling moment at the height of the Occupy Wall Street protests. John Paulson, the hedge-fund trader who famously made billions betting on the collapse of the housing market, was threatened by the demonstrators with a march on his Upper East Side home in New York last month. Paulson responded by putting out a press release that described his $28 billion, 120-person fund as an exemplar of the American Dream: "Instead of vilifying our most successful businesses, we should be supporting them and encouraging them to remain in New York City." Other captains of finance like to portray themselves as humble entrepreneurs. One owner of a multi-billion-dollar hedge fund grumbled in the midst of the financial crisis that he has to worry not only about making trading decisions but also about "all the hassles that come with running a small business." With U.S. cities moving this week to crack down on Occupy Wall Street encampments - including

Adobe Systems Inc halted development of its Flash Player for mobile browsers, surrendering to Apple Inc in a war over Web standards as the company surprised investors with a restructuring plan. While the matter might seem like inside baseball for the average person, it is likely to improve the browsing experiences of tens of millions of iPhone and iPad users, who have trouble accessing sites built with Flash. That is because Adobe's decision means Web developers who currently use Flash tools to produce Web content will likely move over to the newer HTML5 technology, which Adobe embraced on Wednesday. Adobe's concession to Apple and its late founder Steve Jobs, who famously derided Flash as an inefficient power-hog, came as the design software specialist warned that revenue growth will slow next year. That is because the company is scaling back development of some products and shifting toward leasing other types of software via the cloud on a subscription

Japan's Olympus admitted on Tuesday it hid losses on securities investments dating back two decades, bowing to weeks of pressure to explain a series of baffling transactions that have put the future of the firm in doubt. The revelations by the 92-year-old company appear to vindicate ex-CEO Michael Woodford, who has staged a campaign since being sacked on October 14 to force the firm to come clean on nearly $1.5 billion in questionable payments. Olympus President Shuichi Takayama blamed Tsuyoshi Kikukawa, who quit as president and chairman on October 26, Vice-President Hisashi Mori and internal auditor Hideo Yamada for the cover-up, saying he would consider criminal complaints against them. The admission after weeks of denials shocked investors, sending shares in the endoscope and camera maker skidding almost 30 percent and prompting the biggest non-Japanese shareholder to demand the replacement of the entire board. "Ignorance is no defense," said Jo

Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, the largest Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide brand, will build a hotel in Colombo on land originally offered to a Chinese firm, the Deputy Economic Development Minister said on Sunday. Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said the government has completed negotiations with Sheraton to allocate the land, earlier offered to China National Aero Technology Import and Export Corporation (CATIC). “The negotiations with Sheraton are successfully over and we have agreed to give (the) CATIC land,” he told Reuters. However, he declined to comment on the amount of the investment or extent of land the government had agreed to offer Sheraton under a 99-year lease. Last month, Sri Lanka annulled a $500 million investment deal with CATIC after it refused to sell the beach front land outright to the state-run Chinese conglomerate as agreed earlier. The CATIC deal was among the largest foreign investments since the end of the war in 2009, and analysts say its can

All websites that publish news on Sri Lanka or its people, from the country or elsewhere have been requested to register with the Ministry of Mass Media and Information, the government information department reported.

China on Friday dismissed a U.S. report on online spying as "irresponsible," rejecting the charge that China uses cyber espionage to steal lucrative U.S. trade and technology secrets. The U.S. intelligence report said on Thursday China and Russia are using cyber espionage to steal U.S. trade and technology secrets to bolster their own economic development, which poses a threat to U.S. prosperity and security. So much sensitive information sits on computer networks that foreign intruders can net massive amounts of valuable data with scant risk of detection, said the report to Congress. Foreign intelligence services, corporations and individuals stepped up their efforts to steal information about U.S. technology that cost many millions of dollars to develop, according to the report by the Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive, a U.S. government agency. But the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei rejected the report, and repeated Be

The Federal Administrative Court in Switzerland has ruled that rejected asylum seekers from Sri Lanka can be sent back to their country. The Swiss Federal Office for Migration had ruled Tamil refugees could return to Sri Lanka, and a previous Senate vote confirmed that view. Opponents appealed to the court, alleging that Tamils face arrest, intimidation or in some cases torture if they return. The court said the general security situation in Sri Lanka has improved and stabilized since the civil war between the army and the Tamil Tigers, thus allowing the refugees return, World Radio Switzerland reported.

Former Pakistan Test cricket captain Salman Butt and fellow players Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir have all been given custodial sentences for plotting to fix parts of Pakistan’s Lord’s and Oval Test matches against England in 2010. Butt was jailed for 30 months, Asif was given a 12-months and teenager Amir was handed a six-month sentence. Corrupt cricket agent Mazhar Majeed was jailed for two years and eight months at Southwark Crown Court. (SkySports)

A cleaner from Sri Lanka stole four laptops from his workplace in the Royal Court’s engineering office and attempted to steal 18 more, a Dubai court heard this morning. The Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance was told that AD, 20, took the computers sometime before July 21 and later tried to take more, but was caught hiding them in the false ceiling. The Emirati security head at the office, MM, 38, said he was informed that 22 HP and Toshiba laptops went missing from the office during AD’s shift. A Dubai police sergeant testified that AD confessed to the theft and said he took two of the stolen laptops to his house and two to a computer shop for reprogramming. The rest were hidden in the ceiling, he said. He confessed in court today and awaits a verdict on November 22, reported The National .

A person was killed and six others were injured following a grenade attack in the Delduwa area in Wadduwa, Police stated. The attack took place following a clash between two groups last night (October 31). The six others who were injured in the attack were taken to the Panadura, Gonaduwa and Nagoda hospitals for treatment, the Wadduwa Police further stated. Further investigations are being conducted into the incident.