In the last decade, Sri Lanka's picture-postcard perfection has reeled in millions of tourists from around the world, with numbers soaring from fewer than 440,000 in 2008 to more than two million last year.
But that vision of an Indian Ocean idyll is now under threat. Almost 10 years after the nation emerged from a viciously fought civil war, a constitutional crisis is driving frustrated Sri Lankans onto the streets in increasingly violent protests that have already claimed the life of one man and left others injured.
While cricketers representing Sri Lanka and England take to the green at Galle International Stadium for a genial test match, a more sinister clash has broken out between the country’s president and prime minister.
Erstwhile, uneasy partners in a dysfunctional government, their squabbling and mutual suspicion have descended into a dangerous game of chess.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, accused by President Maithripala Sirisena of unlikely involvement in an alleged assassination attempt, has barricaded himself in his official residence, refusing to make way for his replacement.
That replacement, chosen by the president in what many observers regard as nothing less than a constitutional coup, couldn’t be a more polarising choice.
A former president himself, Mahinda Rajapaksa might be popular with the majority Sinhalese population – and the tens of thousands who took to the streets of Colombo on Monday in support of him – but for others, he is associated with the authoritarianism, human rights abuses and corruption that so badly alienated the Tamil minority during his 10 years in office.
Instead of promoting Mr Rajapaksa, Mr Sirisena was supposed to have been investigating him for his role in the killings of Tamils at the end of the war. In a worrying sign of a clampdown on any dissent, Mr Rajapaksa's supporters have already seized control of newspapers in the capital.
The president has taken it upon himself to suspend parliament. Until it is reconvened – ostensibly on November 16 – Sri Lanka has two prime ministers and no effective government.
The heat is rising and parliament's speaker has warned of a bloodbath on the streets if the situation is not resolved by politicians soon.
With a thriving economy fuelled by textile exports and tourism, the last thing the country needs is another descent into bloody chaos. Memories of the 26-year war that divided the nation and its people, claiming the lives of thousands, are still etched onto the minds of many of its citizens.
For their sake, Sri Lanka’s politicians should set aside divisive self-interest and their differences to end its worst constitutional crisis in years – one that threatens to undo the efforts of the past decade and plunge a country that has only recently recovered from the worst ravages of war back into violence and instability.
Colombo must show a proper sense of leadership for the sake of its people and a swift resolution must be reached before more lives are needlessly lost.
KYLIAN MBAPPE 2016/17 STATS
Ligue 1: Appearances - 29, Goals - 15, Assists - 8
UCL: Appearances - 9, Goals - 6
French Cup: Appearances - 3, Goals - 3
France U19: Appearances - 5, Goals - 5, Assists - 1
Brief scores
Toss India, chose to bat
India 281-7 in 50 ov (Pandya 83, Dhoni 79; Coulter-Nile 3-44)
Australia 137-9 in 21 ov (Maxwell 39, Warner 25; Chahal 3-30)
India won by 26 runs on Duckworth-Lewis Method
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela
Edited by Sahm Venter
Published by Liveright
Company%20Profile
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Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
Profile Box
Company/date started: 2015
Founder/CEO: Mohammed Toraif
Based: Manama, Bahrain
Sector: Sales, Technology, Conservation
Size: (employees/revenue) 4/ 5,000 downloads
Stage: 1 ($100,000)
Investors: Two first-round investors including, 500 Startups, Fawaz Al Gosaibi Holding (Saudi Arabia)
MADAME%20WEB
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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Aaron Finch, Matt Renshaw, Brendan Doggett, Michael Neser, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (captain), Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Jon Holland, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle
'Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore'
Rating: 3/5
Directed by: David Yates
Starring: Mads Mikkelson, Eddie Redmayne, Ezra Miller, Jude Law
UAE SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Ali Khaseif, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Mohammed Al Shamsi, Adel Al Hosani
Defenders: Bandar Al Ahbabi, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Walid Abbas, Mahmoud Khamis, Mohammed Barghash, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Hassan Al Mahrami, Yousef Jaber, Mohammed Al Attas
Midfielders: Ali Salmeen, Abdullah Ramadan, Abdullah Al Naqbi, Majed Hassan, Abdullah Hamad, Khalfan Mubarak, Khalil Al Hammadi, Tahnoun Al Zaabi, Harib Abdallah, Mohammed Jumah
Forwards: Fabio De Lima, Caio Canedo, Ali Saleh, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue
Other key dates
-
Finals draw: December 2
-
Finals (including semi-finals and third-placed game): June 5–9, 2019
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Euro 2020 play-off draw: November 22, 2019
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Euro 2020 play-offs: March 26–31, 2020
Company%20Profile
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The specs: 2017 Maserati Quattroporte
Price, base / as tested Dh389,000 / Dh559,000
Engine 3.0L twin-turbo V8
Transmission Eight-speed automatic
Power 530hp @ 6,800rpm
Torque 650Nm @ 2,000 rpm
Fuel economy, combined 10.7L / 100km
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Aggro%20Dr1ft
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The specs: 2018 Bentley Bentayga V8
Price, base: Dh853,226
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 550hp @ 6,000pm
Torque: 770Nm @ 1,960rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.4L / 100km
Essentials
The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.
