Dec 20 (FT) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday sought to counter the alarmists and doomsayers claiming the economy would crash as a result of the additional Rs. 500 billion the Govt plans to spend in 2026 on the post-Ditwah recovery. Pointing to SL’s strongest fiscal performance on record, he said it had created the space to deploy the Rs. 500 billion supplementary estimate for post-Ditwah recovery without more..

Dec 20 (EN) SL will use a 1,200 billion rupee cash buffer in the Treasury for cyclone relief and recovery, Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake said, seeking parliamentary approval for extra spending of 500 billion rupees in 2026. Treasury cash buffer had expanded to 1,202 billion rupees by Nov 2025. “If we did not have the cash buffer we would have had to look for other ways to finance the spending,” he said. About 250 billion rupees will go for infrastructure, 150 billion rupees for business recovery more..

Dec 20 (FT) Transparency Int'l SL (TISL), Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and the other activists have expressed serious concern over the continued failure of the President to ensure the timely appointment of the Auditor General, leaving SL’s supreme audit institution without stable leadership for an extended period of time. “This delay comes at a moment when public trust, financial accountability, and robust oversight are not only constitutionally required, but urgently needed,” more..

Dec 20 (FT) Executive Board of the IMF yesterday approved a disbursement of SDR 150.5 million (about $ 206 million, equivalent to 26% of quota) for SL under Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI). This emergency support will help address urgent balance-of-payments and fiscal pressures arising from the catastrophic Cyclone Ditwah, which hit the country on 28 Nov. IMF said: The SL authorities remain committed to more..

Dec 20 (EN) The govt has decided to compensate for damaged fishing boats with a new boat through Cey Nor Foundation amid insufficient insurance claims due to undervaluation, Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake told the Parliament. He said this when he explained the method of compensation for lost or damaged fishing boats. He said all those engaged in marine fishing cannot operate without insuring their boats and the Ministry of Fisheries issues fishing licences only if the boats are insured. more..

Dec 20 (AD) Police Spokesman has stated that no traces of alcohol were detected in the blood and urine samples obtained from NPP MP Asoka Ranwala. Samples were tested by the Govt Analyst’s Dept. Earlier, Police had requested a medical report to determine whether any of the drivers involved in the incident were under the influence of alcohol. The accident occurred on Dec 11 when the jeep in which the MP was travelling collided with a car in the Denimulla area of Sapugaskanda. more..

Dec 20 (NW) A potential railway accident was narrowly averted at a level crossing in Ja-Ela on Friday after the quick action of a bystander helped save several lives. A van travelling from Ja-Ela towards Minuwangoda became stranded at a railway crossing when one of its wheels got stuck between the rails. At the same time, a train travelling from Negombo to Colombo was approaching the crossing. With the level crossing closed and the train fast approaching, a man at the scene ran more..

Dec 20 (CT) The impact of Cyclone Ditwah on SL’s upcountry and plantation regions dominated discussions when Indian High Commissioner to SL Santosh Jha met CWC General Secretary and MP Jeevan Thondaman at India House in Colombo on Tuesday evening (16). During the meeting, both sides reviewed the damage caused by the cyclone and the humanitarian assistance extended by India in its aftermath. Special attention was given to the challenges faced by plantation communities, more..

Dec 20 (ST) The Peradeniya Royal Botanical Gardens will not know with certainty whether the plants in its nurseries will survive after floodwaters swept through the gardens. The overall damage to the gardens is estimated at more than Rs 120 million. The gardens are open to the public while the cleanup continues. Employees said that some damaged orchids in the nursery had been named in honour of female foreign & local dignitaries. more..

Dec 20 (FT) HNB PLC has announced a partnership with Prime EV Automobiles Ltd, a subsidiary of Senok Trade Combine Ltd, to expand access to Deepal brand electric vehicles in SL. The agreement was signed recently with the aim of strengthening national EV adoption while offering customers structured financial solutions through HNB Leasing. “This partnership aligns with our long term commitment to expand access to advanced mobility in SL,” said HNB SVP Kanchana more..

Dec 20 (NW) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake expressed SL’s deep appreciation to the UAE for its swift humanitarian assistance to communities affected by recent floods and heavy rainfall across the country. Prez conveyed his gratitude during a telephone conversation with UAE Prez His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, thanking the UAE for its continued support to SL during times of crisis. During the call, Sheikh extended his heartfelt condolences to Prez Dissanayake more..

Dec 20 (DN) Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe said that Cyclone Ditwah caused extensive damage to over 106,800 hectares of paddy fields and the Govt is offering farmers a compensation of Rs. 150,000 per hectare for crop losses. It is estimated that around 80,000 hectares (nearly 235,000 acres) of the flood-damaged paddy fields can be replanted. A compensation of Rs.150,000 per hectare for maize and other field crops will also be provided to cover investments and restoration costs. more..

Dec 20 (ST) Owners of grocery shops, eateries, and clothing stores in flooded areas are bearing financial losses and rebuilding their businesses. Some are waiting for govt support. Many retailers had abandoned their goods and moved to higher ground when the Kelani River breached its banks on Nov 28 and caused floods in low-lying areas. The roads are still muddy, while marks in the shops show the level of flooding. One such shop is Kelanimulla Hotel, a small eatery, which was inundated. more..

Dec 20 (CT) The ongoing severe congestion at the Port of Colombo—where an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 containers are currently stuck, including around 400 humanitarian aid shipments—has raised concerns over delays to critical relief efforts following Cyclone Ditwah. Emergency aid from international donors has reportedly been delayed for the past five days. However, SL Customs has rejected claims that hundreds of more..

Dec 20 (Island) Disciplinary action has reportedly been taken against several police officers for their alleged failure to conduct a proper investigation into a recent accident caused by NPP MP Asoka Ranwala in Sapugaskanda. This move, we believe, has the trappings of a diversionary tactic. The police would have incurred the wrath of the government if they had conducted a breathalyzer test on Ranwala and produced him before a Judicial Medical Officer immediately after the crash more..

Dec 20 (DN) Unbeaten half-centuries from Aaron George (58) and Vihaan Malhotra (61) powered India Under-19s to an eight-wicket victory over Sri Lanka Under-19s with two overs to spare in their rain-affected Asia Cup semi-final played at the ICC Academy Grounds in Dubai yesterday. The match was reduced to 20 overs per side due to wet ground conditions. Invited to bat first, Sri Lanka posted 138 for 8, a total that proved insufficient despite an early breakthrough by their bowlers. more..

Dec 20 (DM) SL recorded over 3.9 million local malware incidents in the third quarter of 2025 alone, with nearly a quarter of users encountering offline threats, new data from global cybersecurity firm Kaspersky reveals. Findings highlight a persistent vulnerability in the country’s digital landscape: the heavy reliance on removable media. 23.2% of users in SL faced local threats during this period, placing the island nation 53rd globally for exposure to malware spread through offline vectors. more..

Dec 20 (ST) Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence imposed on an LTTE member convicted over the assassination of UNP MP T. Maheswaran. Court of Appeal had earlier upheld the sentence and rejected an appeal filed by the accused, Johnson Valentino alias Vasanthan against the death sentence imposed on him by the Colombo High Court over the assassination. The accused had then filed a special leave to proceed in the SC requesting it to vacate the Court of Appeal’s order. more..

Dec 20 (DM) Of the country’s approximately 2.3 million hectares of agricultural land, 175,000 hectares or 7.6% of land has been damaged in Sri Lanka due to the recent cyclone causing a setback in harvest, output levels and driving price hikes for locally produced food, according to the Dept of Agriculture compiled with FAO. It has triggered concerns over food security of SL unless these lands are re-cultivated immediately. more..

Dec 20 (NF) Japan has handed over emergency shelters worth USD 1 million to Sri Lanka through the International Organization for Migration (IOM), as part of a larger USD 2.5 million emergency grant announced on Dec 16. The official handover took place with Akio Isomata, Ambassador of Japan to Sri Lanka, and Kristin Parco, Chief of Mission for IOM Sri Lanka, presenting the aid to Chathura Liyanarachchi, Director (Preparedness) of the Disaster Management Center (DMC). more..

Dec 20 (Island) The Universities Act is back in the news – this time with the present govt’s attempt to reform it through a proposed amendment (Nov 2025) presented by the Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, Harini Amarasuriya, who herself is a former academic and trade unionist. The first reading of the proposed amendment has already taken place with little debate and without much attention either from the public or the university community. more..

Dec 20 (TM) ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 Trophy Tour has been launched over the Adam’s Bridge, culturally revered in India as the Ram Setu, a symbolic gateway linking the two co-hosts, India and SL. 10th edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, featuring 20 teams, 29 days of high-intensity cricket and 8 world-class venues (5 in India and 3 in SL), will take place from 7 Feb to 8 Mar 2026, promising to be one of the most more..

Dec 20 (DM) SL has the potential to export coconut products worth US $ 2-3 billion, Nestlé Lanka Chairman Bernie Stefan emphasised at a recent panel discussion. He added that increasing the yield from the existing coconut plantations can make a huge difference and called for the urgent development of the Northern Coconut Triangle. The export earnings of coconut and coconut-based products from Jan to Oct 2025 increased by 43.83% and surpassed US$ 1b compared to last year more..

Dec 20 (FT) Shield Restraint Systems Ltd, has officially opened its cutting-edge manufacturing facility at the Export Processing Zone, Wathupitiwala, Nittambuwa, marking a significant milestone in SL’s industrial development and foreign investment landscape. The event was attended by senior executives from the US, including TransDigm Inc., Executive Vice President Kevin McHenry and Shield Restraint Systems President Dennis Pursel along with Shield’s executive team. more..

Dec 20 (CT) All politicians are cut from the same cloth. Post-Ditwah cyclone reconstruction has proved it one more time, but under a different regime. A President who promised systems change before coming to power has followed the beaten track and wants to go solo on rehabilitation and reconstruction – not national. If such a demand for some kind of all-party involvement in cyclone relief measures over the medium and long terms is not a part of any systems change that more..

Dec 20 (CT) Ditwah has come and gone but the physical devastation, financial distress, economic dislocation and above all the mental and psychological wounds inflicted by the calamity would take years if not decades to heal. But it is at a time like this that the political credibility, personal integrity and tireless commitment of the country’s national leadership is put to its maximum test. Although it is too early to pass any final judgement there are enough signs to indicate that more..

Dec 20 (CT) Now we have climate refugees and deaths due to climate change and natural disasters, whether we like it or not. The term, however, has no legal recognition under international law. The 1951 Refugee Convention defines a refugee based on persecution due to race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion—not environmental factors. For Sri Lankans, word refugee is already familiar. more..

Dec 20 (DM) This writer has written about three massive flood disasters -- in 1989, 2016 and this year, which affected hundreds of thousands of people in the lower valley of Kelani Ganga. And he was personally a victim of two of these massive floods, the ones that devastated his area in 2016 and 2025. When the Kelani River overflowed in 2016 after 27 years, many people, especially those lived in single-storey houses, left the area before flood water inundated their homes. more..

Dec 20 (CT) SL likes to describe the Port of Colombo as the crown jewel of its maritime economy, a regional hub that keeps trade flowing and the country connected to the world. Yet, in the wake of Cyclone Ditwah, that claim rings hollow. What is unfolding at the port today is not merely an operational hiccup. It is a moral failure. An estimated 3,000 to 4,000 containers are reportedly stuck within the port system, among them around 400 consignments of humanitarian aid. more..

Dec 20 (CT) The Sapugaskanda road accident involving former Speaker and NPP MP Asoka Ranwala quickly evolved from a traffic incident into a broader test of governance, institutional credibility, and the ruling coalition’s central promise of equal application of the law. While the injuries sustained by a six-month-old infant and two women understandably generated public sympathy and concern, it was the handling of the aftermath more..

Dec 20 (DM) With a ferocity rarely seen in this country, Cyclone Ditwah hit the country for three days. Our much maligned Met department after a long time got its predictions right.It had begun announcing the landfall of Cyclone Ditwah from two to three days earlier. Unfortunately, like most of us, our government too took the prediction with the proverbial pinch of salt and was caught with its pants down. Within days, the storm triggered lethal landslides, unprecedented flooding, more..

Dec 20 (GV) Sri Lanka’s latest natural disaster once again exposed deep structural weaknesses not only in disaster preparedness but also in governance economic resilience and regional connectivity. Amid this crisis India’s response stood out for its speed scale and restraint. India’s immediate humanitarian assistance extended across the entire island was not merely a gesture of goodwill. It reaffirmed India’s Neighbourhood First policy and its commitment to regional stability. more..