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News.com.au
4 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
St Kilda penthouse boasting views of Luna Park sparks overseas interest
One of St Kilda's most breathtaking penthouses has hit the market, with a $4m-$4.4m price guide. Occupying the entire top floor of 30 The Esplanade, the four-bedroom, four-bathroom residence captures sweeping views of Port Phillip Bay, the Palais Theatre, Luna Park and the city skyline. Kay & Burton Stonnington director Darren Lewenberg said the penthouse had interest from both downsizers and buyers across Melbourne, interstate and overseas. 'It's interesting, we've had a lot of inquiry from the mature market, people coming out of large family homes who still want space to entertain and host the family, but in a more manageable setting,' Mr Lewenberg said. 'But it's not just your typical downsizer. 'This home has a presence — it's commanding attention from all over because people recognise how rare it really is.' Designed by award-winning architects SJB, the penthouse was originally conceived as two separate apartments before a visionary former owner amalgamated the third floor and rooftop to create a one-of-a-kind full-floor sky-home. The swanky pad boasts its own rooftop retreat complete with a spa, sauna, outdoor kitchen, daybed, three bar fridges and two alfresco bathrooms. Wide European oak floorboards, Calacatta marble finishes and full-height glazing set a luxurious tone throughout, while the home's scale and flow feel more like a freestanding house than an apartment. The Smeg-appointed kitchen includes a 90cm gas cooktop and integrated Liebherr fridge, anchored by a showstopping marble island and a separate marble breakfast bar. The internal layout includes multiple living and entertaining zones, with a dedicated dining space framed by views of Luna Park and the bay, and a lounge featuring curved custom bookshelves and gallery lighting. The main suite includes walk-in and built-in robes plus a marble-clad ensuite, while two further bedrooms have private ensuites and the fourth is serviced by a central bathroom. Mr Lewenberg said the double-glazed windows and acoustic insulation deliver surprising serenity to buyers despite the home's buzzing Esplanade position. 'You can be standing inside, looking out over the city skyline or watching queues form at the Palais, and yet it's absolutely calm,' he said. 'That combination of visual immersion and acoustic privacy is incredibly rare.' But, the Kay & Burton Stonnington director said it's the rooftop that leaves buyers speechless. 'The lift opens into the private lobby, and straight away you're hit with uninterrupted views across St Kilda and the bay,' Mr Lewenberg said. 'People light up, there's a physical reaction. And then they head upstairs and it all elevates again. 'It's almost spellbinding.' The rooftop zone is fully self-contained, with bathrooms, entertaining infrastructure, lush planters and ambient lighting, and all just steps from the sand. 'This home offers the ultimate balance, you're in the thick of it, but you're also completely cocooned,' he said. 'It's irreplaceable.' Other highlights include zoned heating and cooling, Liebherr wine fridge, powder room, full laundry, video intercom, direct lift access and basement parking for four cars with storage. Expressions of interest close June 11 at 1pm.
The Star
09-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Sri Lanka ruling party wins local elections
Sri Lanka's President Anura Kumara Dissanayake (C) waves as he leaves a polling station after casting his ballot during voting in Sri Lanka's local government election in Colombo on May 6, 2025. (Photo by Ishara S. KODIKARA / AFP) The leftist government won local council elections but with significantly lower margins, in its first test since sweeping national polls last year, official results showed. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's coalition received the most votes in 265 out of the 339 councils, but fell short of an outright majority in about half of them. The main opposition SJB won just 14 councils, while the country's main minority Tamil party, the Tamil National Alliance, performed better, winning 35. The parties of former presidents Ranil Wickremesinghe and Mahinda Rajapaksa failed to win control of a single council, but between them secured 1,123 of the 8,299 council seats. The leftist NPP will need the support of other parties to control about 130 councils where it fell short of an absolute majority, but has ruled out any coalition with traditional parties. Dissanayake's NPP vote share fell to 43.3%, down from the 61.6% it secured at the November parliamentary election. The main opposition SJB made a marginal gain, reaching 21.7%. Dissanayake, who upset the more established parties to win the September presidential election, built on his popularity to secure the parliamentary vote held two months later. The 56-year-old has made a U-turn since coming to power on his pledge to renegotiate the terms of an unpopular IMF bailout agreed by his predecessor, and has maintained high tariffs. He had turned the local elections into a referendum on his six-month-old administration, saying it was essential for his party to secure local councils so that all layers of government were 'free of corruption and endemic waste'. About 60% of the 17.14 million electorate turned out to vote on Tuesday, down from nearly 70% in November and 80% in the September presidential vote. The campaign was lacklustre, with no high-profile figures in the running. — AFP
Time of India
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Sri Lanka ruling party wins local elections
Sri Lanka's President Anura Kumara Dissanayake (Photo: AP) Colombo, May 07, 2025 -Sri Lanka's leftist government won local council elections but with significantly lower margins, in its first test since sweeping national polls last year, official results showed on Anura Kumara Dissanayake 's coalition received the most votes in 265 out of the 339 councils, but fell short of an outright majority in about half of main opposition SJB won just 14 councils, while the country's main minority Tamil party, the Tamil National Alliance , performed better, winning parties of former presidents Ranil Wickremesinghe and Mahinda Rajapaksa failed to win control of a single council, but between them secured 1,123 of the 8,299 council leftist NPP will need the support of other parties to control about 130 councils where it fell short of an absolute majority, but has ruled out any coalition with traditional NPP vote share fell to 43.3 percent, down from the 61.6 percent it secured at the November parliamentary main opposition SJB made a marginal gain, reaching 21.7 percent, up from 17.70 who upset the more established parties to win the September presidential election, built on his popularity to secure the parliamentary vote held two months 56-year-old has made a U-turn since coming to power on his pledge to renegotiate the terms of an unpopular IMF bailout agreed by his predecessor, and has maintained high had turned the local elections into a referendum on his six-month-old administration, saying it was essential for his party to secure local councils so that all layers of government were "free of corruption and endemic waste".About 60 percent of the 17.14 million electorate turned out to vote on Tuesday, down from nearly 70 percent in November and 80 percent in the September presidential campaign was lacklustre, with no high-profile figures in the running.
The Print
07-05-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Dissanayake's NPP leads in Sri Lanka's local polls
The main opposition, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), won outright control of two councils. Its leader, Sajith Premadasa, said the party would soon begin talks with other opposition groups to set up joint administrations. Of the over 200 results declared out of the 339 councils that went to the polls, the NPP secured outright control of more than 50. In most other councils, the party remains the single largest, though combined opposition parties hold more seats than it does. Colombo, May 7 (PTI) The National People's Power (NPP) led by Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake emerged as the single party with the most council wins in the local elections, but is struggling to form administrations on its own, according to the results declared by the Elections Commission. In the Tamil-majority north, the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) dominated, winning most of the councils in the region. As of 6 am, the NPP had garnered over 2.8 million votes, approximately 43 per cent of the total counted, while the SJB trailed with over 1.3 million votes (20 per cent). The NPP also won 2,523 of the 8,500 available council seats, compared to 1,075 secured by the SJB. Results from over 100 councils were awaited. The election, postponed in 2023 following the island's economic crisis, was to be the first electoral test for the government led by President Dissanayake. PTI CORR GRS GRS GRS This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
The Hindu
24-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Sri Lanka: Opposition, media demand details of defence MoU with India
COLOMBO Amid persisting questions from the political Opposition and media about Sri Lanka's recent defence sector Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with India, the government has asked those seeking more information to use the country's Right To Information (RTI) Act. Addressing a media briefing earlier this week, Cabinet spokesperson Nalinda Jayatissa said some of the contents of the MoU cannot be released without India's consent. The political Opposition, including the main Opposition bloc Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB or United People's Power), has accused the Anura Kumara Dissanayake administration of 'secrecy' and demanded that the MoUs signed with India be tabled in Parliament. The MoU pertaining to the defence sector was one of seven signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Sri Lanka from April 4 to 6. Others spanned areas such as energy co-operation, digital initiatives, and health. During the visit, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told presspersons that the defence sector MoU is an 'umbrella agreement' providing a framework to pursue ongoing defence sector cooperation in a more 'structured' manner. In his statement during the visit, PM Modi said he was 'grateful to President Dissanayake for his sensitivity towards India's interests.' 'We believe that we have shared security interests. The security of both countries is interconnected and co-dependent,' he said. Retired civil servant Austin Fernando, who has served as Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and as Sri Lanka's High Commissioner to India, observed 'Indian defence interests were exposed' in PM Modi's remarks. 'Do we share the much-critiqued Akhanda Bharat concept? Do we endorse Indian-Russian-American-Israeli security and defence interlinks as ours too? Do we connect with Sino-Indian clashes? We may have reservations,' he wrote in a recent newspaper column. Some other columnists argued that the MoU signalled a possible shift from the government's 'non-aligned' foreign policy. The scrutiny of the MoU began in Sri Lanka even before Mr. Modi arrived in Colombo. Ahead of the state visit, Indian media reported that 'a major defence pact' or 'key defence deal' was to be signed with Sri Lanka, triggering scepticism among media commentators in Colombo. The spotlight has only grown after the visit. Addressing a rally in the southern town of Galle days after Mr. Modi's visit, President Dissanayake said the defence MoU signed with India 'simply formalises ongoing joint operations and training sessions with India'. Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath clarified that it was a 'non-binding MoU', and not a 'pact'. An official source from Sri Lanka, familiar with the bilateral discussions on the MoU, told The Hindu: 'Sri Lanka has nothing to worry about. As far as India is concerned, there has been a lot of baggage from its earlier interventions,' the source said, referring to the role of the Indian Peace Keeping Force and Operation Poomalai, carried out by the Indian Air Force to airdrop food in Jaffna, in the late 1980s. 'Now it is time to move on, considering the strategic realities of today,' the source said, requesting anonymity citing the sensitivity of the issue. In its editorial last weekend, the widely read Sunday Times noted that the MoUs pertaining to the 'Energy Hub' proposal in the strategically located eastern district of Trincomalee, and 'defence cooperation' 'have raised uncomfortable questions' in Sri Lanka following Mr. Modi's visit. 'And what is most intriguing is why, when the Indian PM himself and commentators in Delhi are gaga over the MoUs, the Sri Lankan President and his government are maintaining a deafening silence — hiding them from the public?' the newspaper contended, urging the government to make the MoUs public. Meanwhile, it is unclear if the MoU, pitched as a framework to formalise ongoing cooperation in personnel training and intelligence sharing, specifically addresses the area of permitting research vessels from China, an issue that has remained sensitive to Delhi. Recently, some Indian media claimed that a proposed joint naval exercise of Pakistan and Sri Lanka was called off, after Colombo 'refused' to entertain the request. The reports sought to link the 'decision' to the recently signed MoU. However, the Sri Lankan side was quick to deny the reports. Ministry of Defence spokesperson Colonel Nalin Herath told The Hindu: 'There was no cancellation of such a joint exercise. We had a Pakistani Naval vessel call at a Colombo Port in March.' The official media release of the Sri Lankan Navy at the time said Pakistan Navy Ship (PNS) Aslat engaged in 'a successful passage exercise' with its patrol vessel SLNS Samudura.
