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 (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 (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 (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 (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..

Dec 19 (NF) A British woman narrowly escaped tragedy yesterday after falling nearly 100 feet down a cliff while visiting the picturesque Little Adam's Peak in the Ella Police Division. The incident occurred in the 3rd Mile Post area, a popular vantage point for hikers and nature lovers. The woman had been admiring the breathtaking views when she accidentally slipped and plunged into the ravine. Emergency rescue teams rushed to the scene and carried out a challenging operation more..

Dec 19 (EN) More than 29,600 businesses under Micro, Small & Medium Enterprise categories have registered under the disaster-affected businesses in SL, Minister Sunil Handunnetti told the Parliament. Revealing the businesses hit by the Ditwah-hit devastation, Minister said as of Wednesday, the govt has received information over a total of 29,649 industries hit by the disaster. “I think there are more than 29,000 businesses. They have to fill a small form,” to get registered, more..

Dec 19 (NW) More than 300,000 Sri Lankans have left the country for overseas employment during the course of 2025. As of Dec 19, a total of 300,191 Sri Lankans had migrated abroad for work, marking the third time in the past decade that annual foreign employment departures have exceeded 300,000. In 2024, a total of 314,673 Sri Lankans travelled overseas for employment. Data for 2025 shows that 184,085 male workers more..

Dec 19 (DM) Govt will not seek the support of former leaders who were involved in corruption through disasters, in the fund raising process this time, PM Harini Amarasuriya said today. She told Parliament that the people and the international communities have offered to support SL due to the trust placed by them on the good governance practices of the govt. Responding to a remark by MP Rauff Hakeem that the govt must seek the support of former Presidents in appealing for int'l support more..

Dec 19 (AD) Department of Irrigation has announced that the flood warning issued for several low-lying areas along the Mahaweli River Basin has been extended for a further 24 hours. Accordingly, this warning will be in effect until 5.30 p.m. tomorrow. The warning was initially issued yesterday due to the risk of minor flooding resulting from heavy rainfall in parts of the Mahaweli catchment areas and the release of water from reservoirs located upstream in the Mahaweli Valley. more..

Dec 19 (AD) Supplementary Estimate of Rs. 500 billion to restore the livelihoods of those affected by the sudden disaster situation and to rebuild destroyed infrastructure, presented to Parliament yesterday for the approval of Parliament, was approved in Parliament today. The said Supplementary Estimate was presented to Parliament yesterday by PM Harini Amarasuriya. Accordingly, following the debate held today from 10 am to 6.10 pm, Supplementary Estimate more..

Dec 19 (FT) Varna Ltd, has achieved a landmark industry milestone, becoming the only flexible-packaging company in SL to secure 10 national awards within a single year. The recognition spans four leading institutions – CNCI Achiever Awards, FCCISL Entrepreneur of the Year, Chamber of Lankan Entrepreneurs and The Great HR Awards organised by CIPM —marking the strongest national performance by any organisation in the sector. Achievement reflects Varna’s deep more..

Dec 19 (PMD) GovPay, Govt Digital Payment Platform concluded the year 2025 by surpassing Rs. 2 billion in total digital transaction value, marking a major milestone in the country’s digital transformation journey. Notably, GovPay doubled its collections from Rs. 1 billion to Rs. 2 billion in just 45 days, reflecting rapid adoption, growing public trust, and strong institutional uptake across the public sector. more..

Dec 19 (NF) Colombo High Court scheduled Feb 16 for the hearing of the case filed against former Minister Namal Rajapaksa, who is accused of misappropriating Rs. 70 million received through the controversial Krrish transaction. Case was called before High Court Judge Aparna Suwadurugoda. During today’s proceedings, prosecution handed over several key documents required for trial to the defense. After considering submissions, the judge fixed the next hearing date for February 16. more..

Dec 19 (NF) Sri Lanka’s rebuilding efforts have received a boost, with the Treasury confirming that contributions have now surpassed Rs. 4,286 million. This includes Rs. 4,263 million in direct deposits and Rs. 23 million in foreign currency, amounting to an equivalent of USD 13.86 million. Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, announced the update, noting that foreign currency contributions alone have exceeded USD 6 million. These funds have come from well-wishers more..