Dec 31 (AD) Former Minister Dullas Alahapperuma has directed a letter to US President Donald Trump seeking a reduction in tariffs on Sri Lankan imports from the current levels to 12% for a period of one year. In his letter, former Minister Alahapperuma has also extended his gratitude for the generous and timely assistance provided by the US govt in response to the devastating Cyclone Ditwah. The $2 million in emergency aid, along with the deployment of military airlift capabilities more..

Dec 31 (NW) Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has launched an inquiry into the case of a local woman and her child stranded in Dubai for reportedly more than three years following a viral social media plea for help. The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Arun Hemachandra confirmed Tuesday that officials have initiated a formal investigation after the woman posted a video to Facebook appealing directly to the President and Foreign Minister for repatriation. more..

Dec 31 (AD) Investigations have been initiated to arrest former Minister Johnston Fernando in connection with allegations that a Lanka Sathosa-owned lorry was misused, resulting in a financial loss to the Govt. However, reports indicate that although investigations are underway to arrest the former minister, police have so far been unable to ascertain his whereabouts. Accordingly, it is further reported that 5 police teams have more..

Dec 31 (AM) The Sri Lanka Society of Transport and Logistics (SLSTL) has urged the Govt to develop an alternative railway route from Colombo to Kandy, warning that Cyclone Ditwah has exposed critical weaknesses in the country’s ageing rail infrastructure. In a statement, the SLSTL said the damage caused by Ditwah—particularly along the Main Line—has rendered several sections impassable, with the structural integrity of a key bridge near Peradeniya still uncertain. more..

Dec 31 (DN) In the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah, SLT MOBITEL led one of the most extraordinary national connectivity restoration efforts in recent years, mobilising the full breadth of its operational network, technical expertise, and emergency response systems to safeguard SL’s digital lifeline. Within one week of the cyclone, SLT MOBITEL had successfully restored over 98% of the sites impacted by the cyclone, with only a small number of locations in the most severely affected districts, more..

Dec 31 (CI) India completed a dominant series sweep over SL, clinching the fifth and final T20I in Thiruvananthapuram by 15 runs. Posting 175 for 7 thanks to a commanding 68 from Harmanpreet Kaur, India's bowlers then restricted SL to 160 for 7 despite fighting half-centuries from Hasini Perera and Imesha Dulani, sealing a comprehensive victory. During the course of the match, Deepti Sharma became the leading wicket-taker in women's T20Is with 152 scalps, surpassing Australia's more..

Dec 31 (CI) Lasith Malinga has once more been retained as consultant bowling coach for SL's men's team, as they prepare for the T20 World Cup they are due to co-host from early February. Although this is only a 40-day appointment, running from Dec 15 to Jan 25, it is essentially a continuation of Malinga's work with key bowlers in the national set-up. Malinga has worked officially as a fast-bowling consultant at least twice before, but has also worked unofficially with top bowlers over the years, more..

Dec 31 (DM) CIABOC has initiated an investigation into the alleged assets of six ministers of current NPP govt under the Money Laundering Act, according to a letter from it. According to a copy of the letter which the Daily Mirror has seen, an investigation was launched following a formal complaint submitted to the Commission by Jamuni Kamantha Thushara, Chairman of Organisation Citizens’ Power more..

Dec 31 (Island) University of Leicester’s President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Nishan Canagarajah has been knighted in the 2026 King’s New Year Honours. The award recognises Professor Canagarajah’s inestimable contribution to higher education, particularly in championing inclusion, said Uni of Leicester. Throughout his distinguished career, Professor Canagarajah has shown an unwavering commitment to education as a force for improving lives and creating a fairer society. more..

Dec 31 (ANI) After a 5-0 clean sweep against India, Chamari Athapaththu, SL captain, believes they're not playing their best cricket, needing improvement in power-hitting and batting. However, after this series defeat, she's positive about youngsters performing well and said the team is focusing on trusting their skills and playing freely ahead of the T20 World Cup. "Actually, we are not playing our best cricket in this tournament. So definitely we have to improve a couple of areas, more..

Dec 31 (FT) Corporate earnings declined year-on-year (YoY) in the September 2025 quarter, ending a seven-quarter growth streak, as sharp contractions in food, beverage and tobacco and capital goods outweighed continued strength in banks and diversified financials. Aggregate profits of 273 listed companies fell 12% YoY to Rs. 176.5 billion in the Sep-25 quarter from Rs. 200.2 billion a year earlier. more..

Dec 31 (FT) Panasian Power yesterday said it has successfully connected a 5 MW ground-mounted solar power project at Baddegama, Galle, to the national grid, marking the completion of the last project under a batch of seven solar plants that entered into power purchase agreements in the third quarter of 2024. The project was connected to the Galle Grid Substation on 30 December 2025 and has commenced revenue generation through a subsidiary of Panasian Power. more..

Dec 31 (ST) Veteran singer Maxi Rozairo, who was a household name in the late 1960s to 1990s in the SL western music scene, died yesterday morning at his home in Colombo. He was 77 years old and had a long battle with cancer. Mr Rozairo was part of the Spitfires band, with whom he toured many countries, including West Asia, then with Mahogany, and before his illness was part of a trio. He was one of the founders of the Burgher Association in SL, its president, and was described by friends more..

Dec 31 (ST) Small-scale businesses that had prepared for months for the festive season when sales are higher have felt a bigger blow from the unprecedented natural disaster. Even owners of small home-based garment shops, operating with just a few sewing machines, are unable to find markets. Those producing food items, including pickles and other bottled items, were affected too. Sanjeewa Pushpakumara, a food producer, shared his plight: “I produce food items with a long more..

Dec 31 (FT) Parliament passed a total of 26 Govt Bills during the year 2025, Parliament Secretariat said. The legislation was enacted during the First Session of the Tenth Parliament, covering the period from 1 Jan to 31 Dec 2025. The Acts span fiscal policy, labour, governance, regulatory reform, and social protection. Among the key enactments were amendments to major revenue laws, including the Inland Revenue Act, Value Added Tax Act, Social Security Contribution Levy Act, more..

Dec 31 (Island) Interdicted Deputy Director at the National Hospital, SL (NHSL) Dr. Rukshan Bellana yesterday (29) alleged that the powers that be moved against him for seeking the CIABOC investigation into a massive fraud at the NHSL laboratory. Dr. Bellana said so in response to The Island query regarding the circumstances the Health Ministry interdicted him on 18 Dec, through a letter, as directed by the Health Committee more..

Dec 31 (Island) A new year is an appropriate moment to pause, not for celebration, but to interrogate what our politics, policies, and public institutions have chosen to remember, forget, and repeat. We celebrate the dawn of another brand-new year. But whose calendar defines this moment? We hang calendars on our walls and carry them in our phones, trusting them to keep our lives in order, meetings, exams, weddings, tax deadlines, pilgrimages. Yet calendars are anything but more..

Dec 31 (ST) Surely not Left. Our NPP leader left it some time ago, and now it would seem he has ditched it altogether. Now I hear no Marxist ideology belting from some social media machine. Not now anyway, when the serving spoon is very much in his hand, as our charismatic one-time PM Sir John Kotelawala used to remind his cabinet and friends. Well, anyway, he is too busy distributing largesse to the needy and trying to keep the restless happy as best as his foot soldiers could, more..

Dec 31 (Island) The health sector has long been free from the clutches of the likes of Keheliya Rambukwella and his bureaucratic lackeys, but it continues to be plagued by various rackets and frauds, as evident from the shocking Ondansetron scandal. The corrupt survive regime changes and continue their sordid operations, enabling politicians and officials to enrich themselves at the expense of patients. The NMRA has become a metaphor for serious lapses and malpractices. more..

Dec 31 (CT) Nearly a month after Cyclone Ditwah tore across SL, more than a million people – including over half a million children – remain in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, as floods, landslides and renewed rainfall continue to compound one of the country’s worst disasters in decades. Cyclone made landfall on the island’s eastern coast on 28 Nov, triggering widespread flooding and deadly landslides across all 25 districts. While some displaced families have begun more..

Dec 31 (CT) SL’s oceans have long been portrayed as a frontline in the country’s war against narcotics trafficking. Stretching across major international shipping lanes, the island’s surrounding waters are increasingly exploited by transnational drug syndicates using multi-day fishing vessels as floating couriers. At the heart of the State’s maritime defence lies a critical technological safeguard: the Vessel Monitoring System (VMS). more..

Dec 31 (CT) Across Sri Lanka, a visible pattern has emerged in recent months. Annual budgets presented by local authorities controlled by ruling party groups have increasingly been defeated. From municipal councils to urban councils, these developments reflect a growing national disquiet rather than isolated political incidents. Several leading local bodies have been among those affected. In certain instances, controversial manoeuvres have followed—ranging from more..

Dec 31 (GV) Deforestation and the human-animal conflict have become dangerously intertwined as natural habitats shrink. Wildlife is continuously forced closer to human settlements. Numbers indicate a sobering picture. In 2024, the world lost 16.6 million acres of tropical primary rainforest at an alarming rate of four to five cricket fields a minute. By the end of 2025, the main drivers of this destruction became crystal clear. Commercial agriculture particularly for the production of more..

Dec 31 (TM) In the wake of Cyclone Ditwah, Govt has announced a monumental task: providing disaster resilient, permanent housing for every family whose home was destroyed or rendered unsafe by the disaster. This mission follows the initial damage assessments that reveal the staggering scale of displacement across the island. According to the Deputy Minister, T.B. Sarath, National Disaster Management more..

Dec 31 (TM) At the crack of dawn tomorrow, SL will step into a new calendar year. What was predicted to be a year of recovery and growth by some seems less bright, following the thrashing by Ditwah and the unprecedented damage. The debate about how much blame should be assigned to whom regarding Ditwah, its prediction, and disaster preparedness remains an ongoing spectacle. The economic burden for rebuilding has been estimated by World Bank & UN agencies to be over US$ 4 b. more..

Dec 31 (CT) As the final days of the year slip past, the mood is neither entirely reflective nor fully celebratory. We stand, as we do every December, on the edge of a new calendar, carrying with us the quiet hope that the coming year will be better than the one we are leaving behind. Of course, this is also the season of resolutions. We promise ourselves to change habits, to become healthier, kinder, more disciplined, and perhaps more attentive to the world around us. more..

Dec 30 (DM) The newly introduced digital system at the Department for Registration of Persons (DRP) experienced repeated technical failures yesterday, forcing applicants seeking National Identity Cards (NICs) to suspend their visits and return another day. Applicants reported that the system first crashed around 1.00 p.m., before going down again at approximately 2.30 p.m. and later at around 4.00 p.m., disrupting services throughout the afternoon. Following the breakdown, more..

Dec 30 (TM) SL Anti-Doping Agency (SLADA) had conducted tests into 120 athletes across a wide spectrum of sports during this year at a cost of Rs. 10 million, while only three of those tests had returned positive results, stated its Director General (DG) Dr. Shiromi Pilapitiya. According to her, SLADA officials had subjected athletes in sports such as athletics, cricket, weightlifting, swimming, bodybuilding and netball to random urine and blood tests to determine cases of doping violations. more..

Dec 30 (TM) National Olympic Committee of SL (NOCSL) President Suresh Subramaniam in a letter dated 22 Dec and addressed to all its affiliated members has emphasised the current Executive Board’s (EB) steadfast commitment to ensuring that the Annual General Meeting (AGM) and elections of the EB, are held at the earliest possible opportunity. However, he has informed the membership that there are several administrative issues more..

Dec 30 (DM) SL is ranked as 158 and in the bottom 40 healthiest countries in the world for 2025 with a global health index of 54.55 which is considered below average and unhealthy according to the CEO World Global Health Index 2025. According to the website, “A newly released global health index indicates that countries’ health varies significantly, as evaluated through ten specific measures. These criteria encompass healthy life expectancy, blood pressure levels, blood glucose more..

Dec 30 (NW) Johann Fernando, the son of former minister Johnston Fernando, was arrested by the FCID on Monday in connection with an alleged case of criminal misappropriation involving a lorry belonging to Sathosa. According to the Acting Police Media Spokesperson, the arrest relates to an ongoing investigation into the suspected misuse of the state-owned vehicle. Further investigations are underway, and legal action will be taken based on the findings. more..