Four persons died in a head-on collision involving a car and a bus at Murasumoddai on the Paranthan-Mullaitivu road yesterday. Police said at the time of the accident, five persons were travelling in the car, of whom four died.

In another accident, one person died and six others sustained injuries when a three-wheeler collided with a car at Oyamaduwa, Anuradhapura. Police identified the dead person as the driver of the three-wheeler.

We still haven’t been given the real reason why singer Ne-Yo postponed/cancelled his performance in Colombo … virtually, at the last minute.

The reasons trotted out are “Unforeseen circumstances.”

And the singer had this to say:

“To my lovely Sri Lanka Fanbase … as much as I was looking forward to rocking out with you all, due to unforeseen circumstances, we’re gonna have to do this another time.

“My deepest apologies. Know that I will see you soon. Can’t wait.”

The public has a right to know what these “unforeseen circumstances” are, and who is to be blamed – the organisers or Ne-Yo!

Ne-Yo’s management certainly need to come out with the truth.

The general talk is that the tickets were priced too high for an artiste who is not a current mega star.

Although Ne-Yo is still a known figure in the music industry, his commercial peak was likely in the mid-2000s to early 2010s.

Music fans say they would have paid even double the entrance fee if it was to see a star like Michael Jackson in action!

The Ceylon Motor Traders’ Association (CMTA), the senior-most automotive association in South Asia affiliated with the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, has called on the government of Sri Lanka to abolish the 15% depreciation that is currently granted on used vehicle imports.

The CMTA emphasizes that this policy not only lacks any plausible justification but also results in significant revenue losses to the government. While no official announcement has been made in regard to the removal of the 15% depreciation, the CMTA has consistently raised this issue through multiple budget proposals, submitted by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.

The Association maintains that the depreciation should not be applied to used vehicle imports. The reason being that most of the used vehicles imported, have virtually zero milage and are priced almost on par with brand-new vehicles, when considering Cost, Insurance and Freight (CIF) value.