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,...
News Room : Poetry collection The Return to Life launched at Jaffna Public Library
A poetry collection in Tamil The Return to Life (வாழ்க்கைக்குத் திரும்புதல்) by poet and writer Kirishanth Sivasubramaniyam was officially launched recently at the auditorium of the Jaffna Public Library. The event was organised by the Kumarathevan Reader Circle and presided over by T. Selvamanoharan, Lecturer at the Department of Hindu Philosophy, University of Jaffna. Guest speeches were delivered by...
News Room : Police speed detecters out of order, no purchases made since 2016
70 Police officers have reported that many traffic speed measuring devices used to detect those who drive at excessive speeds are currently detective. This has made it difficult to apprehend drivers who break speed limits. A senior Police officer mentioned that there are only one or two functional speed measuring devices available per district.The National Audit Office highlighted that since purchasing...
News Room : Two Arrested for Beating Dog to Death in Viral Video
Two individuals have been arrested following the circulation of a video on social media showing a dog being brutally beaten with a stick by two men. The dog’s owner lodged a complaint with the Akmeemana Police Station on 18 December 2024, stating that her dog was attacked by two individuals on 11 December 2024. The dog succumbed to its injuries...
News Room : President announces PAYE tax reductions – The Island
Imputed rental tax to be implemented in 2025 Withholding tax increased from 5% to 10% President Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday told Parliament that the PAYE tax threshold be increased from Rs. 100,000 to Rs. 150,000. “We held discussions with the IMF and were able to raise the tax threshold from Rs. 100,000 to Rs. 150,000 per month,” President Dissanayake said. President Dissanayake said...