News Room : SJB’s Nalin Bandara calls on Govt to reduce electricity bills
89 Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Nalin Bandara yesterday called on the Government to reduce electricity bills to provide relief to consumers and expressed his opposition to increasing the withholding tax (WHT) to 10 percent. Attending a media briefing at the SJB office yesterday (23), Nalin Bandara further said, “The current Government had promised to reduce electricity bills by one-third before...
News Room : Draft to amend LG Elections Act forwarded to EC
83 The draft Local Government (LG) Polls Amendment Act has been forwarded to the Elections Commission by the Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government Ministry. The Election Commission (EC) stated yesterday (23) that the Cabinet decision to cancel the outdated nominations for the LG Elections has also been forwarded with the draft Amendment Act of the LG Polls. The Public...
News Room : St. Peter’s College OBU UK celebrate annual Christmas gathering
St. Peter’s College OBU UK celebrated their annual Christmas gathering, “Peterite Christmas Night 2024” drawing an impressive crowd of over 250 guests to the prestigious Nakshastra Hall in London. The event stands...
News Room : Hard-hitter Jacobs gets maiden New Zealand call-up for Sri Lanka T20Is
Hard-hitting middle-order batter Bevon Jacobs has been handed his maiden New Zealand call-up by being picked for the upcoming three-match home T20I series against Sri Lanka. Jacobs was part of the New Zealand XI side that took on Sri Lanka in a 10-overs-a-side tour match in Lincoln on Monday, although he did not get a chance to bat. Jacobs’ call-up comes...
News Room : Woman dies after being set on fire on NYC subway
A suspect has been arrested in New York over the death of a woman who was set on fire on a subway train in Brooklyn. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch described the incident on Sunday as “one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against another human being”. She said the woman was on a stationary F train to...
News Room : Seeyanomics, rhetoric and reality
Monday 23rd December, 2024 The much-awaited good news has come at last. On Friday, Fitch Ratings upgraded Sri Lanka’s Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) to ‘CCC+’, from ‘RD’ (Restricted Default). Heartening as this positive development is, it by no means indicates that the Sri Lankan economy is out of the woods yet; what it signifies is that the economic...
News Room : MP Chanaka appointed SLPP’s National Convener
124 The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) has appointed Hambantota district MP D.V. Chanaka as the new National Convener of the party. This had been decided at the Politburo/Executive Committee meeting of the SLPP held on Friday in Colombo, under the patronage of party leader former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Namal Rajapaksa MP said several key decisions were made to revamp and strengthen...
News Room : Home and home
At the launch of a book “Ranil Wickremesinghe and the emasculation of the United National Party” by Rajiva Wijesinha last Wednesday, Dr. Dayan Jayatillake, the keynote speaker quoted a message he had received from Nirgunan Tiruchelvam, a son of the late Neelan Tiruchevam which read: “The former winner of the CL Wickremesinghe prize is speaking at a book launch where...
News Room : Fitch upgrades Sri Lanka out of default despite holdout Hamilton Reserve
30 Fitch Ratings said it was upgrading Sri Lanka’s foreign currency rating out of restricted default (RD) status, to CCC+ after 98 percent of bondholders accepted an offer to restructure defaulted bonds with new securities issued on December 20. “The upgrade of the Long-Term Foreign-Currency IDR (issuer default rating) reflects Fitch’s assessment that Sri Lanka has normalised relations with a majority...
News Room : Swimming mouse among 27 new species discovered in Peru
An amphibious mouse with webbed feet and a blob-headed fish are among 27 new species scientists have discovered in Peru. They were found in an expedition to Alto Mayo – which includes the Amazon rainforest – by scientists from the non-profit organisation Conservation International and members of local indigenous groups. Up to 48 other new species may also have been found,...