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 (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) 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 (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 Tri-Forces, ensuring a unified, responsive & visible presence on the ground. more..

Dec 21 (EN) SL may spend about 1,000 billion rupees 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 bil 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 (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 (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 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 SL 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. Since their group-stage exit at the 2024 T20 WC, 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 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 single step of presenting one computer to Gonagala North Junior School in Ruwanwella. 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 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. 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 a Parliamentary Select Committee 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 (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 (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 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..

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..