Dec 18 (FT) Commercial Bank of Ceylon has emerged as the country’s largest lender to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), retaining its position for the fifth consecutive year, according to the Finance Ministry’s Final Budget Position Report for 2024. The report shows that Commercial Bank disbursed Rs. 330.9 billion in SME loans in 2024, representing 30.3% of the Rs. 1.09 trillion provided by 16 State and private sector banks. This places the bank significantly ahead of all other institutions, more..

Dec 18 (FT) The SL Design Festival (SLDF) has announced the launch of Returning Voices: Sri Lanka, a new platform designed to strengthen engagement between Sri Lanka and its global diaspora community. The initiative welcomes diaspora leaders to contribute to areas they care about, from youth empowerment and innovation to entrepreneurship, cultural exchange, and community upliftment. While Returning Voices is envisioned as a broad, multi-focus diaspora movement, more..

Dec 18 (FT) Sri Lanka is set to make history as it hosts South Asia’s first-ever three-day reggae music festival, One Love 2026 – A Tribute to Bob Marley, from 27 to 29 March 2026 on the golden shores of Bentota, the organisers announced on Tuesday. The festival will take place from 5 pm onwards, bringing an unprecedented celebration of global reggae culture to the region. A packed press conference to announce this historic moment more..

Dec 18 (DM) Deputy Minister of Defence, Major General Aruna Jayasekara (Retd), met with the UN Resident Coordinator to SL, Marc-André Franche, at the office of the Deputy Minister of Defence to review ongoing disaster response efforts, institutional reforms, and the coordination of international humanitarian assistance. During the meeting, the UN Resident Coordinator commended the strong national unity and resilience demonstrated by the SL people in responding to the recent disaster. more..

Dec 18 (NW) The Mahaweli Authority announced that sluice gates at three major reservoirs were opened this morning (18) at 10:20 a.m. as part of regulated water release operations. According to the Mahaweli Authority, six sluice gates at the Victoria Reservoir were opened by 70 cm each. At the Randenigala Reservoir, two gates were opened, one by 2.5 meters and the other by 1 meter. Meanwhile, at the Rantembe Reservoir, two gates were opened by 2 meters and 2.5 meters, respectively. more..

Dec 18 (DM) “We became highly suspicious when a large passenger aircraft was flying unusually low and circling several times in the sky. Because of that, we paid close attention. Everyone in our family went up to the upper floor of the house and observed the aircraft. We were all afraid that it would crash. Many people in the village had woken up and were watching the sky. When the aircraft flew directly over our houses, our fear doubled more..

Dec 18 (DM) An Attorney-at-Law was today discharged subject to a formal warning by the Supreme Court after pleading guilty to an act of professional misconduct, with the court cautioning him to exercise greater diligence in the future to avoid conduct that could undermine the integrity of the legal profession and the administration of justice. The rule (charges) relates to a case before the Kaduwela District Court in which the respondent Attorney-at-Law had filed a proxy on behalf of more..

Dec 18 (NW) SL’s economy will not collapse and there will be no shortage of cooking gas, Minister Vijitha Herath told Parliament, dismissing claims circulating in recent weeks as fear-mongering. Herath said the govt has made arrangements to ensure uninterrupted gas supplies through a new supplier, with the first shipment scheduled to arrive in SL on Jan. 5. “The economy is not collapsing. Some in the opposition are engaging in a very low and irresponsible attempt to frighten public” more..

Dec 18 (DM) A fierce fight between two wild elephants on the forest road near Singha ulpotha in Kebithigollewa caused tense situation on Tuesday, as a private bus carrying garment factory workers came under attack and was forced off the road. According to police, the two fully grown wild elephants were engaged in a fierce fight when the bus, carrying around 20 female workers from a garment factory in Welioya, was passing through the area. “Smaller vehicle transporting workers more..

Dec 18 (AD) A proposal seeking to establish a Parliamentary Select Committee to conduct a comprehensive review of the alleged lack of preparedness to minimise the damage caused by Cyclone Ditwah has been submitted to the Speaker of Parliament. Signed by 25 Opposition MPs, including the Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, the proposal seeks the appointment of a select committee to examine the govt’s response and the alleged failure to minimize damages more..

Dec 18 (DM) The Colombo High Court on Dec 10 permitted the CIABOC to withdraw the indictments filed against former Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal in connection with the controversial Greek bond transaction, subject to stringent conditions recommended by the CIABOC. Colombo High Court Judge Mohammed Mihal granted permission under Section 67(1) of the Anti-Corruption Act, allowing the withdrawal of more..

Dec 18 (SLN) SL Navy has successfully concluded specialized diving and technical operations to clear vital infrastructure obstructed by severe flooding from Cyclone Ditwah, while continuing extensive Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations across the island. Adverse weather from the cyclone caused a significant rise in the Mahaweli River, sweeping large quantities of debris, including logs and tree remains, into key bridges. This obstruction posed a dual threat, more..

Dec 18 (DM) SL’s mineral export potential is as much as US $ 778 million annually where the realized amount is only US $ 389 million as estimated by the ITC Export Potential Map, a report compiled by the Pathfinder Foundation says. The report says that primary data suggests that the potential could increase even up to US $ 2 billion with more investments in downstream space. Australian High Commissioner Matthew Duckworth said investing in minerals and renewable more..

Dec 18 (NW) The world‑famous beverage from SL, Ceylon Tea, is set to enter a new era with the infusion of Biotechnology 4.0, marking a knowledge‑based export drive for the country’s botanical market. A major milestone in this science‑led industrialization was reached this week when the BOI granted formal approval for a state‑of‑the‑art botanical extraction facility by Natex Extracts (Pvt) Ltd. The project, backed by foreign direct investment (FDI) of USD 1.5 million more..

Dec 18 (TE) Two SL fishing vessels were seized near Kelaa in Haa Alifu Atoll yesterday during an operation conducted by the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) based on intelligence shared by foreign sources. MNDF said today that the vessels were detained by the Coast Guard for illegally entering the Maldives’ Special Economic Zone (SEZ). The seizure was carried out during a joint surveillance operation involving the Coast Guard and Air Corps, following intelligence more..

Dec 18 (TM) Former National Olympic Committee (NOC) President Hemasiri Fernando asserted that the Sports Minister has the authority to remove any head of a sports body and clear the decks for elections. “The current Minister of Sports, if he wants to, must act now,” he said in reference to the long overdue annual election to the NOC for the 2025-29 term. “He (Minister) removed former NOC General Secretary Maxwell de more..

Dec 18 (Island) More than 10,000 tonnes of garbage have accumulated in the Gampola town area following the recent flooding, and steps are currently being taken to remove it, Central Provincial Local Govt Commissioner Chamila Attapattu has said. Responding to growing public concern over lack of waste removal in the town, Attapattu said the situation had arisen after floods, caused by the overflowing of the Mahaweli River. She noted that Gampola was a densely populated more..

Dec 18 (AD) A decision has been taken to close all schools in the Central Province on Friday (19) and Monday due to the prevailing inclement weather conditions, says the Chief Secretary of the Central Province. Met Dept has forecast that showers will occur at times in Eastern, Uva & Central provinces and in Polonnaruwa and Hambantota districts with fairly heavy rainfall above 75 mm likely at some places in the these areas. It said fairly strong winds of about 40 kmph can be expected more..

Dec 18 (NW) SL has taken a significant step toward strengthening its national cybersecurity framework, with the SL Computer Emergency Readiness Team (SLCERT) convening its first stakeholder consultation under Ministry of Digital Economy to discuss the country’s path to ratifying the UN Convention against Cybercrime. Acting Secretary to the Ministry of Digital Economy, Varuna Sri Danapala, chaired the stakeholder consultation attended by officials from Foreign Ministry more..

Dec 18 (CT) The foundation stone for a new passenger terminal building at Jaffna Int'l Airport was laid on Monday, marking a key milestone in the Rs 700 million airport expansion project. The ceremony, held at the airport premises, included multi-religious observances and was attended by Jaffna Int'l Airport Manager Saman Amarasinghe, Deputy Airport Manager Sanjeewa Amarapathi, and senior officials of Airport & Aviation Services (SL) Ltd, including its Deputy Chairman and engineering staff. more..

Dec 18 (FT) Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa issued a strong appeal to the media and the public to act responsibly and avoid spreading confusion over recent weather events, including the Cyclone Ditwah, warning that misinformation risks undermining the country’s recovery efforts at a critical moment. Clarifying speculation surrounding the sequence of weather disturbances, he said public discourse had wrongly conflated more..

Dec 18 (NW) SL Police have reiterated that the 119 emergency telephone service must be used strictly for reporting genuine emergencies, warning that misuse of the hotline is a punishable offence under the Penal Code. Issuing a statement, the Police Department said that the 119 emergency telephone service is intended only for reporting emergencies. Police emphasize that this service must be used strictly for urgent situations and genuine emergencies, and that all calls are monitored. more..

Dec 18 (EN) Only one third of SL’s railway system is operable, deputy minister of transport Prasanna Gunasena told parliament. “The railways department got harmed the most. We can only use about 1/3 of the entire system,” Gunasena said detailing the damages. “Landslides and rock falls damaged 91 places on railway tracks.” 73 larger bridges were damaged, he said, and 38 smaller culverts. Trees or branches had fallen on tracks in 149 places. Another 177 places were damaged or obstructed more..

Dec 18 (FT) In early November 2025, Minister Sunil Hadunhetti stated in Parliament that beneficiaries of the Aswesuma program should be ashamed for taking taxpayer money through the Govt and characterised it as a form of legalised begging. He was widely criticised for this statement. In response to a press release by the Law and Society Trust which expressed disappointment in the Minister’s statement, he offered an explanation to LST about his reasoning for this statement. more..

Dec 18 (FT) The constitution anticipates that the Sri Lankan Parliament shall have full control over public finance. It exercises this power primarily through scrutinising, amending and approving the annual Budget. In practice, however, the Budgeting system has long been infected by inconsistencies and inaccuracies in the numbers presented to Parliament. Figures in the Budget speech, the estimates and other supporting documents released alongside the Budget often do not align. more..

Dec 18 (FT) Govt said the proposed Rs. 500 billion Supplementary Estimate for post-Cyclone Ditwah recovery will be funded through reallocated capital spending, excess revenue, Treasury resources, and external assistance, while remaining fully within the 2026 debt ceiling and the available fiscal space. Deputy Minister Dr. Anil Jayantha said the scale of destruction caused by the worst natural disaster in over two decades more..

Dec 18 (NW) Three people were arrested after a wild elephant died from severe burn injuries sustained when villagers attempted to chase it away using fire, police said. The 40-year-old elephant, known as Amba Bo, was found critically injured on Monday morning lying in the front yard of a house near the Abagaha Wela junction in the Seepukulama area. Wildlife veterinarians from the Anuradhapura Pandulagama division rushed to treat the animal, but it succumbed to its injuries later. more..

Dec 18 (DN) Health Services Director General Dr. Asela Gunawardena stated that Health authorities have launched investigations into two deaths reported at the Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH), and stressed that it has not yet been conclusively established that the incidents were caused by the drug Ondansetron. NMRA Chairman Dr. Ananda Wijewickrama stated that on December 12, following information received indicating possible contamination in the drug, immediate steps more..

Dec 18 (TM) Govt plans to expedite the programme to provide plots of land to families living in estate housing, taking into account the difficulties faced by the estate community sector, particularly in the aftermath of recent natural disasters, stated the Plantations & Community Infrastructure Ministry. Deputy Minister Sundaralingam Pradeep said that long-discussed proposal to allocate land to estate sector more..

Dec 18 (DM) Jaffna International Trade Fair (JITF), Northern SL’s largest multitrade exhibition, would be held from Jan 23 to 25, 2026, marking its 16th consecutive year as a key commercial platform for the region, the organisers said. Organised by Lanka Exhibition and Conference Services in association with the Chamber of Commerce and Industries of Yarlpanam, the event will take place at the Muttraweli Ground in Jaffna. The organisers said the fair aims to deepen business connectivity, more..

Dec 18 (DN) Minister Kumara Jayakody said that attention has been drawn to develop energy sector and related fields with Vietnam, a close friend of SL, which is maintaining rapid economic growth. “Vietnam, which has gone through difficult and challenging times like SL, is experiencing the fastest economic growth and a country that we can also take as an example. Therefore, it is our hope to further develop new investment and technology exchange relations in energy sector with more..