Dec 6 (FT) Rejecting calls to present an interim Budget to deal with the post-Ditwah recovery, Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday told Parliament that the Govt has presented a Rs. 50 billion supplementary estimate to finance urgent disaster relief, with another to be presented for Rs. 500 billion in Jan 2026. He asked MPs to approve the measure, noting that it forms part of a broader package of reallocations to address more..

Dec 6 (FT) Tourism Deputy Minister Prof. Ruwan Ranasinghe yesterday confirmed Sri Lanka’s tourism sector is “fully back to normal” following last week’s severe weather, with major attractions open, transport links restored and no significant incidents reported involving foreign visitors. Speaking after returning from inspections in Badulla and other affected districts, Prof. Ranasinghe said Cyclone Ditwah, the strongest storm to impact Sri Lanka in nearly two decades, caused serious flooding, more..

Dec 6 (AD) The Third Reading of the 2026 Appropriation Bill was passed with a majority of 157 votes in Parliament, a short while ago. A total of 158 Members of Parliament voted in favour of the 2026 Budget while only one MP voted against it. Another two MPs abstained from voting. All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC) MP G.G. Ponnambalam was the sole MP to vote against, while S. Shritharan and Thurairasa Ravikaran of Illankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) abstained from voting. more..

Dec 6 (CT) The severe weather catastrophe has gripped SL, leaving a trail of devastation across the island as the death toll rose significantly. As of 6 p.m. on Friday (5), 607 people had died and 214 remained missing due to the adverse weather conditions linked to the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah. The crisis impacted over two million people, specifically 2,082,195 individuals from 586,464 families island-wide. more..

Dec 6 (DN) Action will be taken soon to recruit graduates into the teaching service with the conclusion of the Court case that prevented the appointment of Development Officers as teachers, Prime Minister and Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya told Parliament yesterday. She informed the House that the age limit will be revised and swift action will be taken to recruit graduates into the teaching service by conducting an examination. more..

Dec 6 (FT) Over 25,000 tourists have arrived amidst and post-Cyclone Ditwah prompting officials to express confidence that the country’s resilience despite natural disasters bodes well. The inflow of tourists during the past five days was revealed by SL Tourism Chairman Buddhika Hewawasam at the presentation of Five Star certification to Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams yesterday. He also said that around 250 tourists who were stranded in flood stricken areas were brought back to the city more..

Dec 6 (EN) Central Bank has announced relief measures for individuals and firms hit by the Cyclone Ditwah-hit disaster after considering the proposals of the SL Banks’ Association (SLBA). The Central Bank has issued a circular on the need to grant effective relief to those affected without unduly compromising financial system stability to all licensed banks. Accordingly, licensed banks have been requested to provide following relief measures, upon receiving a request from such borrowers in writing more..

Dec 6 (DM) President Anura Kumara Dissanayake assured Parliament today that emergency regulations will not be invoked to suppress freedom of expression or criticism of the govt. Addressing concerns triggered by recent remarks from Deputy Minister Sunil Watagala, Prez said the reaction to the statement had caused unnecessary uproar. He said that public opinion would not be restricted under emergency law and added that neither he nor the govt is troubled by criticism. more..

Dec 6 (EN) Sri Lanka has sought US$ 200 million (150.5 million special drawing rights) from the IMF through a Rapid Financing Instrument, in addition to the existing program. “The SL authorities have requested financial assistance from the IMF under the Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI) for SDR 150.5 million,” Mission chief Evan Papageorgiou said in a statment. “This request is currently under consideration and more..

Dec 6 (NW) Rehan Jayawickreme has resigned from SJB, stating that his personal views no longer align with the party’s direction. Jayawickreme, SJB’s Weligama organiser and former Mayor of Weligama, announced his decision in a letter dated 6, addressed to Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa. In the letter, he said his decision followed considerable self-reflection, adding that the country’s current challenges require fresh ideas, actions without constraint & forthright engagement. more..

Dec 6 (SLN) Sri Lanka Navy on 5 Dec, conducted extensive humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations across multiple districts, continuing its dedicated programme to support citizens affected by recent severe weather. Working in the districts of Puttalam, Anuradhapura, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Trincomalee, Badulla & Mullaitivu, naval personnel executed a wide range of tasks to restore infrastructure, provide essential services, and aid in community recovery. more..

Dec 6 (CT) Minister Harshana Nanayakkara informed Parliament that the legal proceedings before the Singaporean courts regarding the catastrophic 2021 X-Press Pearl marine disaster had been halted. He explained that the case had been stayed because a related matter was pending before the Judiciary in London. Minister recalled that the Supreme Court of SL had delivered a judgment on 24 July against the owners and operators of the MV X-Press Pearl, finding them liable for more..

Dec 6 (DN) SL’s Under-17 team, led by Rehan Peiris, will take the field brimming with confidence as they begin their 3-match One-Day series against Bangladesh tomorrow in Chattogram. Second and third ODIs will also be played at the same venue on Dec 9 and 12. After their victory in the second 3-day match at Bashundhara Sports Complex in Dhaka, SL team travelled to Chattogram yesterday for the limited-overs leg of the tour, which is expected to provide valuable exposure for youngsters. more..

Dec 6 (AD) A special briefing for the diplomatic community in SL was held at Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment & Tourism, chaired by PM Harini Amarasuriya together with the Minister Vijitha Herath. Senior govt officials, including representatives of Disaster Management Centre (DMC) and SL Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), also participated. Opening the session, PM expressed her deep appreciation to more..

Dec 6 (FT) A high powered delegation of Indian IT CEOs led by NASSCOM President Rajesh Nambiar is visiting Colombo from 4-6 Dec. NASSCOM is the leading business chamber of Indian IT and software companies. The CEOs are currently in Colombo for their Offsite Executive Meeting and to explore opportunities for strengthening India-SL collaboration in the technology and IT sector. A high level roundtable was organised on 4 Dec to boost collaboration between NASSCOM and more..

Dec 6 (NW) IRD has extended the deadline for filing Returns of Income for the 2024/2025 assessment year, following widespread disruptions caused by Cyclone Ditwah and severe weather across the country. Although returns were originally due by Nov 30, IRD said many taxpayers and representatives were unable to meet the requirement due to the adverse conditions. Dept announced that taxpayers who file their returns on or before Dec 31, will not face penalties, assessments, or more..

Dec 6 (FT) Colombo stock market closed the week in red yesterday with the benchmark index hitting a two-and-half-month low with Rs. 112.3 billion in value wiped out, taking the total loss during the week to nearly Rs. 424 billion. Week on week, ASPI was down 5.35% or 1,215.74 points and S&P SL20 was down 5.45% or 341.4 points. Yesterday, ASPI closed down 1.51% or 329.51 points to 21,497.08 and S&P SL20 fell 1.45% or 87.69 points to 5,942.97 with market turnover nearing Rs. 3.97 billion more..

Dec 6 (FT) Sri Lanka’s export sector is showing renewed momentum with structural reforms, wider product development, and expanded support for small and medium exporters, the Export Development Board (EDB) informed the Committee on Ways and Means during its meeting in Parliament on 26 November 2025. Presenting the latest sector overview, the EDB Chairman Mangala Wijesinghe noted that SL’s exports had remained stagnant between $ 13–15 billion for nearly a decade. more..

Dec 6 (FT) AFC Asia Frontier Fund Co-Fund Manager Ruchir Desai on Tuesday delivered an upbeat assessment of SL’s capital market outlook, noting that the country is entering one of its most promising phases in a decade, with political stability, macroeconomic recovery, and undervalued equities creating a strong platform for growth. Speaking at the SL Economic Summit, Desai said he has tracked SL’s market since 2014, more..

Dec 6 (AD) President Anura Kumara Dissanayake says that the proposed property tax will not be imposed in 2026. He stated that the property tax will be considered only from 2027 onward, and that this decision has already been formally communicated to the IMF. Prez revealed this while addressing Parliament today (5) during the third reading of the 2025 Budget. Prez further said that the govt has requested a relief of USD 200 million from the IMF to meet the country’s dollar requirement. more..

Dec 6 (Island) Weather forecasts are useful. People attentively listen to them but complain that they go wrong or are not taken seriously. Forecasts today are more probabilistically reliable than decades ago. The advancement of atmospheric science, satellite imaging, radar maps & instantly updated databases has improved art of predicting weather. Yet can we predict weather patterns precisely? A branch of mathematics known as chaos theory says that weather can never be foretold with certainty. more..

Dec 6 (DN) SL created history yesterday in Malé City, Maldives, when national player Tashmila Kavindi defeated India’s national champion L. Keerthana, marking the first time since 2016 that a Sri Lankan has defeated an Indian player in any international competition — a historic victory at the 7th Carrom World Cup. SL’s women, competing in Group ‘B’, began their campaign with an unlucky defeat to hosts Maldives in the group stage. That setback sent them into a tough semifinal more..

Dec 6 (DM) Sri Lanka is no longer facing isolated natural events. Each crisis now arrives as a multi-dimensional security threat—climate shocks, economic stress, misinformation, cyber disruptions, and social tensions converging at once. This is the new reality across Asia, and Sri Lanka must adapt quickly, drawing from the lived lessons of the Philippines, Indonesia, and regional disaster leaders. Annual floods and landslides are intensifying. Urban drainage failures multiply losses, more..

Dec 6 (FT) The Trade, Commerce & Food Security Ministry is preparing to introduce a comprehensive national tariff policy by mid-2026, replacing what officials described as decades of patchwork, sector-specific, and discriminatory protection that has suppressed competitiveness, discouraged entrepreneurship, and hindered integration into global value chains. Ministry Secretary K.A. Vimalenthirarajah speaking during more..

Dec 6 (Island) NPP govt’s Budget 2026 was passed yesterday with a 157-vote majority. Its passage was a foregone conclusion, given the NPP’s supermajority in Parliament, but whether it can be implemented as previously planned is in doubt. When Budget 2026 was presented on 7 Nov, it outlined revenue plans and expenditure allocations for 2026, based on the situation prevalent at the time, but Cyclone Ditwah has upended revenue and expenditure projections to the extent of more..

Dec 6 (CT) Nature has its own unpredictable ways, and Cyclone Ditwah devastated the nation like none other since the Boxing Day Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004. Of course, as with any national disaster, natural or man-made, tsunami or insurgency/war, the political Opposition has always tried to get the goat of the Govt, for allegedly failing in its duties. This one is no exception. In Parliament since, and outside even when the disaster was happening, multiple Opposition parties and leaders criticised more..

Dec 6 (GV) For people across South and South East Asia, the convergence of two cyclones and a typhoon over the past few weeks has dominated the news. As the storms and their associated flooding tore through community after community in the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam, the cost of the disaster has continued to rise exponentially. However, outside the region, it has taken a long time for Western media outlets to begin their reporting. more..

Dec 6 (GV) SL is once again grappling with the devastating consequences of a natural disaster that, despite weeks of scientific forecasts, struck a nation structurally unprepared to withstand it. Cyclone Ditwah, which made landfall in late Nov 2025, has become the country’s most destructive calamity since the 2004 tsunami. With fatalities surpassing 400, thousands still missing and more than one million people affected, this tragedy is not merely a force of nature it is a reflection of more..

Dec 6 (DM) Cyclone Ditwah that struck SL recently left behind a trail of devastation, plunging many regions into severe crisis. We continued to report from places where communication was possible, but there were areas from which no information emerged. One such place was Gampola. Early reports suggested extensive destruction. We learned that electricity and water supplies were completely cut off, and the roads leading to Gampola more..

Dec 6 (CT) Today the country resembles a vast moving carpet of water. Cyclone Ditwah was a tropical cyclone that formed in the Bay of Bengal and brought heavy rains and strong winds to Sri Lanka and southern India, particularly Tamil Nadu. It’s ferocious and destructive powers consumed Sri Lanka, almost every district, as never before. From Dondra Point to Point Pedro, the destruction it caused was unprecedented; its beginning could be forecast, yet there was no forewarning. more..

Dec 6 (DM) Sri Lanka’s rice industry is similar to Yo-yo dieting; sometimes it gains and it equally loses. Hence a close look at Sri Lanka’s rice industry merits an in-depth analysis, especially during adverse weather conditions experienced at present. Unlike any other regular product that we consume, people are so concerned when there is a rice scarcity in the market. This is because we consume rice at least twice a day and use the wheat for other purposes. Right now the present flood situation more..