Dec 21 (ST) NPP govt led by Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake is now beyond the period where it can any longer blame teething problems for its missteps in governance. One year into office, there are questions if the NPP is genuinely committed to accountability and transparency as it claims to be. The ongoing debate over the appointment of a new AG is a case in point. The post has been vacant since April 2025 after former Auditor General W.P.C. Wickramaratne retired. more..

Dec 21 (ST) Office of Missing Persons (OMP) has requested that the govt seek int'l expertise to recover bodies buried in landslides and to track persons reported missing following the Cyclone Ditwah disaster, a commissioner from the office said. OMP Commissioner Mirak Raheem said that the office had urged the govt to request int'l teams specialising in the recovery of missing people’s remains following landslides so that families could conduct funeral rites with due dignity for the dead. more..

Dec 21 (ST) The CID team involved in investigations into the alleged misuse of Rs. 16.6 million in state funds by former President Ranil Wickremesinghe to attend his wife’s graduation ceremony at a UK university has been summoned to the Attorney General’s Dept on Monday. The discussion with the team that returned from the UK is aimed at reviewing the progress of the case and providing necessary directions. Special attention will be focused on the available evidence in the case. more..

Dec 21 (Island) A five star 100-room Maldivian resort hotel property controlled by Browns Investments has been disposed for USD 57.5 million, Browns Investment said. The company had previously disclosed in September that the deal was in the pipeline pending completion of precedent conditions. The property. Barcelo’ Whale Lagoon Maldives, belonged to Browns Ari Resort (Private) Ltd, a subsidiary of Browns investments, was purchased by ASB Hotel Properties Maldives Private Ltd. more..

Dec 21 (AD) India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is set to visit Sri Lanka next week, a trip coming at a time when Delhi immediately reached out to its neighbour amid ongoing recovery from one of the country’s worst natural disasters in decades. The visit follows India’s swift and extensive humanitarian response to Cyclone Ditwah, which struck SL on 27 November, triggering catastrophic floods and landslides that have claimed over 500 lives and affected millions. more..

Dec 21 (SO) Following a landslide during cyclone Ditwah, officers of the NBRO carried out a thorough inspection of Ambuluwawa on Friday, with the survey lasting over seven hours from around 11 a.m. The team started at the main entrance of Ambuluwawa, examining cracks in several parts of the mountain as well as subsidence and fissures along the road leading to the site. They then visited the areas where major landslides had occurred and carried out assessments along the routes leading to more..

Dec 21 (CI) India return to T20Is with the afterglow of a maiden ODI World Cup title at home. But the spotlight now shifts to the shortest format. The first T20I against Sri Lanka in Visakhapatnam marks the start of a five-match series that makes up nearly half of India's limited build-up to the 2026 T20 World Cup in England. With just 11 T20Is scheduled before that tournament, India will be eager to build momentum and rhythm ahead of the global event. more..

Dec 21 (NW) CID has launched a wide-ranging probe into allegations that sensitive surveillance data used to track drug-smuggling vessels operating in the high seas has fallen into the hands of narcotics traffickers. The investigation was initiated on the instructions of the IGP, following information that data from the Vessels Monitoring System (VMS) — used to monitor multi-day fishing vessels and boats suspected of transporting drugs — as well as computer-based intelligence more..

Dec 21 (NW) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Friday outlined a wide-ranging disaster recovery and livelihood restoration programme in Parliament, announcing the largest supplementary estimate in recent history as the govt moves to rebuild communities affected by recent floods and landslides. Presenting a Rs. 500 billion supplementary estimate, Prez said the funds would be deployed without increasing the national debt ceiling and with safeguards to manage inflation and more..

Dec 21 (EN) SL will pay cattle farmers up to two million rupees for cross-bred animals that were lost in the Cyclone Ditwah, and lesser amount for other cattle, Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake said. “If someone lost a cross-bred cow, we will give them 200,000 rupees,” Prez told parliament, seeking approval to spend 500 billion rupees extra for cyclone relief in 2026. “We will give up to two million rupees for 10 cows. Even if more is lost we will only give 2 million. We have to put a cap. more..

Dec 21 (DM) Court of Appeal directed SL Customs (SLC) to release a further 166 BYD vehicles detained by Customs, subject to the furnishing of the relevant bank guarantees and corporate guarantees. The order was made by Court of Appeal President Justice Rohantha Abeysuriya and Justice Priyantha Fernando when three writ petitions filed by John Keells CG Auto (Pvt) Ltd were taken up for hearing. The petitions concern a dispute relating to the motor capacity of certain BYD vehicle models more..

Dec 21 (AD) A special discussion was held today (20) at the Presidential Secretariat under the patronage of Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake to review district-level plans aimed at restoring the lives of citizens under the Rebuilding Sri Lanka programme and to examine challenges that have emerged during implementation. The meeting included Secretaries of Ministries responsible for defence, agriculture, irrigation, water supply, fisheries, transport, housing and construction, more..

Dec 21 (TM) GMOA demanded that the Cabinet take responsibility for the importation of contaminated medicines from India, following serious safety concerns and reports of deaths linked to injectable medicinal drugs supplied by one supplier. GMOA Spokesman Dr. Chamil Wijesinghe said that several patients at the National Hospital, Kandy had developed similar patterns of infection after receiving ondansetron, supplied by a company based in Ahmedabad, India, more..

Dec 21 (NW) Under the direction of the Secretary Defence, Sampath Thuyacontha, a dedicated Public Assistance Helpdesk will be established commencing on 21 Dec, in the Galle Face area, located in front of the Presidential Secretariat. This initiative is a response to the significant increase in public gatherings during the ongoing seasonal period. Helpdesk is being set up through a coordinated effort of the Tri-Forces, ensuring a unified, responsive & visible presence on the ground. more..

Dec 21 (EN) SL may spend about 1,000 billion rupees (about 3.5bn dollars) on Ditwah relief and recovery over three years, Deputy Treasury Secretary A K Seneviratne has said. In Dec 2025, about 75 billion rupees is being spent on Ditwah relief with 50 billion rupees in re-allocated spending approved by parliament, Seneviratne told the COPF. For 2026, a 500 billion rupees in extra spending was approved by parliament on Friday. Among the funds would be 115 billion rupees to strengthen slopes on key roads. more..

Dec 21 (NF) The railway line from Badulla to Ambewela had been disrupted at several points due to landslides caused by the recent disaster, halting train operations. This morning, train services resumed on this line for the first time in 23 days, following a ceremonial event marking the occasion. A large number of local and foreign tourists arrived at the Badulla Railway Station this morning to participate in the inaugural journey. The event was attended by Minister Samantha Vidyaratne, more..

Dec 21 (TM) What a govt does in silence often tells the public more about its intentions than what it proclaims loudly from podiums. The gazetting of the Protection of the State from Terrorism Bill in mid-December, quietly uploaded to the Ministry of Justice website during the holiday season, is one such revealing moment. It arrives wrapped in the language of reform and modernisation, but burdened by a history of broken promises, procedural cynicism, and a disconcerting continuity with more..

Dec 21 (TM) Despite Cyclone Ditwah’s departure from the country after causing much destruction to human lives and property weeks ago, SL continues to be in the eye of a socioeconomic and political storm in Ditwah’s aftermath. Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) seems to be shouldering the heavy burden of rebuilding the country, with a majority of the JVP-led NPP Govt engaged in verbal clashes with members of the Opposition. The arduous and mostly costly task of rebuilding more..

Dec 21 (AD) Governor of the CB Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe says that the public should be very mindful when obtaining relief money and bank loans provided by the govt for those affected by the disaster. Participating in a program held in Kandy today (20), Governor said that it is the duty of the public to manage the loans and relief they receive. Speaking at the event, he said that the govt has allocated a large amount of funds to provide relief to those affected by the disaster. more..

Dec 21 (NW) The SLPP had initially planned to field prominent businessman Dhammika Perera as its presidential candidate at the 2024 election, party’s General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam said. He said the SLPP had completed all preparations to nominate Perera as its candidate, but the businessman declined the offer at the last moment. According to Kariyawasam, Perera had agreed to contest the election and arrangements — including official ceremonies and consultations with allied parties more..

Dec 21 (ST) Pramodya Wickremasinghe’s return as Chairman of Selectors is not about nostalgia or sentiment. It is about continuing a plan that was cut short in 2023. While that plan appeared to fail in public, he believes it was quietly laying the groundwork behind the scenes. The same decisions that once cost him his job are now being seen as the reason Sri Lanka can look beyond merely surviving and start planning seriously for 2027. more..

Dec 21 (SO) CDB’s commitment to education, digital literacy and inclusive development is at the heart of its Smart Computer Lab Project. Citizens Development Business Finance (CDB) set itself a goal in 2004 – to empower students across the country by developing digital literacy and giving equal access to technology. The ambitious initiative of establishing a Smart Computer Lab began with the single step of presenting one computer to Gonagala North Junior School in Ruwanwella. more..

Dec 21 (TM) Despite reports of damage to agricultural land across the country caused by Cyclone Ditwah, there will be no resulting shortage of rice in the market and any shortage of vegetables will only last for a couple of months, the Deputy Minister of Trade, Commerce, and Food Security has claimed. Deputy Minister of Trade, Commerce, and Food Security R.M. Jayawardana stated that they did not expect a significant food shortage in the market as a result of Cyclone Ditwah. more..

Dec 21 (Island) The 2004 Asian Tsunami erupted the day after Christmas. Like the Boxing Day Test Match in Brisbane, it was a boxing day bolt for Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India and Maldives. Twenty one years later, in 2025, multiple Asian cyclones hit almost all the old victims and added a few more, including Malayasia, Vietnam and Cambodia. Indonesia and SL were hit hard both times. Unlike the 2004 Tsunami, the 2025 cyclones made landfalls weeks before Christmas, more..

Dec 21 (Island) SL has a very promising govt and a perennially protesting Opposition. The govt makes various promises, which are like piecrusts made to be broken. The Opposition in a perpetual state of agitation bursts into protests at the drop of a hat. The two sides have been clashing in Parliament instead of sinking their political differences and cooperating at least in the aftermath of a disaster. Opposition has requested Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne to appoint more..

Dec 21 (CT) Severe congestion at the Port of Colombo has once again highlighted structural weaknesses in SL’s cargo clearance system, with the long-delayed Container Inspection Centre (CIC) at Kerawalapitiya emerging as a critical missing link. Ceylon Today obtained a copy of the final report on the Container Inspection Centre, Kerawalapitiya, dated 22 Oct 2022 and supported by the ADB. Report explicitly warned that unless a purpose-built CIC outside Colombo city more..

Dec 21 (ST) After Cyclone Ditwah had left these island shores to a visible sight of great relief that the worst was over and the enormous task of rebuilding a new Sri Lanka could begin, a myriad more storms, not from the skies but from an earthly political realm, awaited to break at the govt’s door in a catastrophic deluge to wash away the thousand and one hopes and promises the JVP gave to ride the wave to power. The first storm to lash the JVP’s Pelawatte HQ is its dogged insistence more..

Dec 21 (CT) Repressive govt actions that restrict citizen behaviour undermine political legitimacy and fuel anti-govt sentiment, as history has repeatedly demonstrated, the Soviet Union being a case in point. Rather than quelling dissent, repression often invigorates social movements and political participation. For democracy to succeed and sustainable governance to take root, govts must involve citizens in reforms, foster consensus through public engagement, and prioritise more..

Dec 21 (ST) DMC came under heavy criticism in the recent past over its handling of Cyclone Ditwah and its delay in issuing critical warnings on time, particularly regarding the opening of sluice gates of dams and reservoirs—a lapse some politicians and environmentalists argued made matters worse, causing severe floods even on high ground. One of the shortcomings of the DMC was the lack of communication means to disseminate critical warnings to the ground-level people, more..

Dec 21 (ST) Not for the first time has a single member embarrassed his political party so much in the public eye as the fake doctorate holder who last Friday crashed into fellow motorists, sending them to hospital. In the year since the incumbents waltzed into office, it may be unfair to single out this one party man as the solitary embarrassment to the ruling party. Others too have made their contributions in varied ways towards this exercise, individually and collectively. more..

Dec 21 (SO) When Parliament approved a Rs. 500 billion Supplementary Estimate on Friday without dissent, it represented a rare moment of national consensus. The country must now transform this consensus into a genuine paradigm shift on its climate destiny. Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s comprehensive address, outlining unprecedented compensation for victims of Cyclone Ditwah is a blueprint for finally treating our climate vulnerability with the seriousness it demands. more..