Dec 5 (Island) Media organisations have denounced Deputy Minister Sunil Watagala after he urged law enforcement authorities to use emergency regulations to take action against those posting allegedly defamatory content about the Prez and senior ministers on social media. The SL Working Journalists Association (SLWJA) issued a strongly worded statement condemning Watagala’s remarks, warning that they posed a direct threat to freedom of expression and media rights, more..

Dec 5 (NW) Dept of Meteorology says rainfall may increase on Dec 9, 10, and 11 due to the Northeast Monsoon weather affecting SL. The department’s Director General, Athula Karunanayake, stated that during this period, the wind speed will also increase. He also said that thunder showers are fewer during the Northeast Monsoon, compared to the Inter‑Monsoon. Because of the activation of the Northeast Monsoon, rainfall may increase after December 9 in the Northern, North Central, more..

Dec 5 (DM) Jaffna District MP Ramanathan Archchuna said today that he was rescued by the war heroes when he was caught in the floods. He told Parliament that he was caught in the floods along with the car and that his car was washed away in the floods. "My car was recovered in a paddy field," he said. The MP said he was rescued by the war heroes and sheltered in a Navy camp. "I was rescued by a Sinhalese war hero. I was sheltered in a camp. A Colonel provided me with his room to sleep for two days. more..

Dec 5 (NF) Govt of the Republic of Korea has committed USD 500,000 to support emergency relief efforts for communities devastated by Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka. The funds will be channeled through the World Food Programme (WFP) to provide essential supplies to the most affected districts: Nuwara Eliya, Badulla, Kurunegala, Kandy, Trincomalee, and Mannar. Expressing deep sorrow over the tragedy, President Lee Jae Myung conveyed his condolences to Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake, more..

Dec 5 (FT) Nations Trust Bank (NTB) has announced that it has received approval from the Central Bank (CB) to acquire HSBC’s SL retail banking business. The deal is worth Rs. 18 billion and applicable taxes, if any. NTB and HSBC signed a binding Sale and Purchase Agreement in September this year, with completion expected in the first half of 2026. The acquisition of HSBC SL’s retail banking business will bring approximately 200,000 customer accounts under NTB, including more..

Dec 5 (AD) PM Harini Amarasuriya said that despite the recent devastation caused by severe flooding and landslides, SL continues to recover rapidly due to the exceptional strength and solidarity demonstrated by the people. “We have taken a blow, but we are far from fallen. Our people have shown remarkable resilience, and that spirit has carried us through every crisis we have faced,” she stated while addressing the visiting NASSCOM Executive Committee more..

Dec 5 (AM) Severe floods and landslides caused by Cyclone Ditwah have created a rapidly escalating humanitarian emergency across SL, with 1.8 million people exposed to flooding, according to a joint rapid assessment by the DMC and UN agencies as of 4 Dec. The assessment identifies 362,939 children and 326,703 older persons among those affected. Critically, the crisis has also disrupted essential health services for an estimated 450,000 women of reproductive age, 144,000 adolescent girls, more..

Dec 5 (NW) Sri Lanka received a consignment of canned tuna from the Maldives today as relief for the people affected by the adverse weather. The consignment, handed over this afternoon, consists of 25,000 cases of canned tuna, in 14 containers. The shipment was formally handed over by the High Commissioner of the Maldives to Colombo. Representing SL at the handover were Brigadier Roshan Dharmawickrema, Director Operations of the Disaster Management Centre (DMC), Commodore Aruna Wijewardane, more..

Dec 5 (FT) It didn’t take long for them to show through the velvet glove. Arrogance amongst the amateurs, appeals to elites to save the state, acting out of customary character in times of repeated crises. There is little surprise perhaps but certainly a lot of regret and even disappointment. Citizens beyond their electorate were beginning to expect more or better from a regime set on system change. Shall we leave it to these five trends to illustrate the current state of the nation? more..

Dec 5 (FT) SL entered 2024–2025 with cautious optimism. After navigating one of the most severe economic crises in its post-independence history, the nation has made meaningful progress toward macroeconomic stabilisation, debt restructuring, and fiscal consolidation under the IMF Extended Fund Facility. Inflation has eased, reserves are strengthening, investment sentiment is slowly improving, and structural reforms that have been long overdue are finally taking shape. more..

Dec 5 (EN) Cyclone Ditwah was an unusual weather system that developed too close to SL’s coast, intensified suddenly and lingered an extraordinarily long time over SL, dumping massive volumes of water. In the last 125 years, when 16 cyclones hit the island, Cyclone Ditwah stands out like a sore thumb, meterologists say. Cyclones usually form far away in the Bay of Bengal, giving advance warning of a week or more more..

Dec 5 (NF) The human toll of Cyclone Ditwah continues to mount in SL, with 481 confirmed deaths and 345 people still missing. The cyclone has left a trail of devastation across 25 districts, affecting 509,680 families and 1,814,534 individuals. The hardest-hit districts include Kandy, reporting the highest fatalities at 118 deaths, followed by Badulla (83), Nuwara Eliya (89), and Kurunegala (56). Other districts such as Kegalle (30) and Puttalam (29) have also suffered significant losses. more..

Dec 5 (NW) The Rebuilding Sri Lanka fund has received close to LKR 700 million from overseas Sri Lankans, according to Dr. Harshana Sooriyapperuma, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance. Announcing the figures, he said more than 30,470 transactions have been made so far through the account operated under Bank of Ceylon. In addition, foreign currency deposits into accounts maintained at the Central Bank of Sri Lanka have contributed nearly LKR 61 million to the fund. more..

Dec 5 (FT) IMF said the devastating cyclone and flooding across SL will have a clear economic impact, whilst signalling readiness to expand assistance once a full assessment of losses is complete. IMF Communications Dept Director Julie Kozack during its regular press briefing expressed solidarity with Sri Lankans affected by the extreme weather. “Our hearts go out to people of SL, and we mourn the loss of life that has taken place,” more..

Dec 5 (DM) While rescue and evacuation operations continue across the country, officials remain alert as predicted showers could pose challenges on the ongoing operations in the coming days. DMC Director Pradeep Kodippili said that ongoing rescue and evacuation efforts have not yet been affected by the rains. However, he noted that discussions will be held if the expected showers begin to hinder field operations, stressing that teams are prepared to respond swiftly if conditions worsen. more..

Dec 5 (FT) CEB Deputy General Manager Noel Priyantha said that 85% of power connections disrupted due to Ditwah have now been restored. He noted that there are nearly 7 million electricity consumers, with Ditwah disrupting supply to 3.9 million of them. As of now, around 85% of these consumers have had their electricity supply restored. During the emergency disaster situation, 16,771 transformers became inactive, and 14,549 of them have already been repaired & restored. more..

Dec 5 (FT) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday requested officials to promptly initiate the distribution of compensation to farmers who lost their crops and livestock to Cyclone Ditwah. He made the request during a meeting with officials from Finance & Agriculture Ministries to assess the damage to agriculture crops, livestock, and the irrigation sector and the urgent restoration steps required. Discussions focused on the losses incurred to paddy, maize, grain, and vegetable cultivation more..

Dec 5 (Island) A 27-member Japan Disaster Relief (JDR) medical contingent touched down in Colombo at midnight on Wednesday, boosting the team’s strength to 31. Four specialists had arrived earlier to carry out a preliminary assessment of the situation. Along with Akio Isomata, Ambassador of Japan to SL, and Kenji Kuronuma, Chief Representative of JICA SL Office, Minister Chrishantha Abeysena, who was until recently a senior professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the Uni of Kelaniya and more..

Dec 5 (EN) India has airlifted a Bailey Bridge system to replace a destroyed bridge and restore connectivity as SL recovers from the effects of Cyclone Ditwah. The bridge was brought to Colombo in an Indian Air Force C-17 Globemaster miliary transport, along with engineers to assemble it. System and can be installed within a few hours to replace damaged bridges, significantly strengthening relief access and mobility for emergency services, in landslide more..

Dec 5 (AD) Motorists using expressways will be required to pay the relevant toll once again after the RDA has announced the removal of the waiver given during the last few days owing to adverse weather conditions. Due to the adverse weather caused by Cyclone Ditwah, the RDA decided, from Nov 27, not to charge tolls from any vehicles travelling on all expressways. Accordingly, free travel was provided on all expressways, including the Southern Expressway, Outer Circular Road, more..

Dec 5 (NW) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), under the direction of President Mr. Shammi Silva and the Executive Committee, has decided to donate Rs. 300 million to the govt’s Rebuilding Sri Lanka Fund. This decision reflects SLC’s deep sense of responsibility as an iconic national sporting body representing a game cherished by millions of Sri Lankans. SLC is confident that this contribution will support the govt in delivering emergency relief to families affected by Cyclone Ditwah more..

Dec 5 (AD) Chinese Prez Xi Jinping on Wednesday sent a message of condolence to SL Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake over the severe flooding that hit SL. In the message, Xi said that he was shocked to learn of the heavy casualties and property losses caused by successive torrential rains and extreme weather conditions in the country. On behalf of the Chinese govt and people, Xi expressed deep condolences to the victims and extended sincere sympathies to the bereaved families and more..

Dec 5 (FT) In a bid to expedite the post-Ditwah recovery, Treasury Secretary Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma recently met with officials of the Insurance Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (IRCSL) and industry CEOs to discuss measures to fast-track Cyclone Ditwah and flood-related insurance claim settlements. Dr. Suriyapperuma pointed out that the insurance sector plays a significant role in rebuilding affected communities and supporting SL’s economic recovery. more..

Dec 5 (TM) Land Ministry stated that it is in constant discussions with the relevant stakeholders to prepare an expeditious programme to provide plots of land to families who lost their homes in the recent floods and landslides. Deputy Minister Aravinda Senarath said that Ministry is actively working with all parties involved to ensure a permanent solution for the affected households. “We are currently discussing this matter, and more..

Dec 5 (DM) Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka said the opposition's move to sue the govt for failing to prevent the disaster is absurd and claimed that the situation would have beeen the same even if the previous rulers had been in power. He said that there had been floods in the past and that the end result was the same whoever was in power. Fonseka said the rain and flood this time was heavier and therefore the devastation was acute. "Situation would have beeen the same if the previous more..

Dec 5 (AD) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake has paid his final respect to the remains of SLAF Group Captain Nirmal Siyambalapitiya. Group Captain Nirmala Siyambalapitiya, who served as the Captain Pilot of a Bell 212 helicopter of the SLAF, died when it crashed while attempting to make an emergency landing in Lunuwila during a flood relief mission. Prez visited the late officer’s residence in Ratmalana, where the remains of Group Captain Siyambalapitiya have been placed more..

Dec 5 (TM) A representative of the IMF has announced that SL is expected to receive access to approximately $ 350 million, sixth tranche of the EFF, within 2 weeks. This pledge comes in the wake of development partners reaffirming their commitment to supporting SL during this critical period. Ministry of Finance on Wednesday convened a high-level donor forum bringing together diplomatic missions, more..

Dec 5 (ST) The CIABOC, which is investigating the decision to move the Ministry of Agriculture to the DPI Tower Building in Rajagiriya during the Yahapalana govt, has decided to question members of the cabinet sub-committee involved in the decision. Former Leader of the House Lakshman Kiriella, who was a member of the said sub-committee, has been summoned before the commission on December 10 to provide a statement on the matter. more..

Dec 5 (ST) The Legal Aid Commission (LAC) has taken steps to appoint lawyers to represent parties that have been unable to secure lawyers in criminal appeals filed before the Supreme Court. Up until now, court appointed lawyers were only assigned to cases before the High Court and Court of Appeal. As such, steps are now being taken to draw up a proper mechanism whereby lawyers are appointed to criminal appeals being heard in the Supreme Court, and to pay them a fee for their services. more..

Dec 5 (DM) The local construction sector is poised to play a pivotal role in the country’s post-disaster economic recovery, with a renewed focus on reconstruction and climate-resilient infrastructure following the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah. Access Engineering Deputy Chairman Christopher Joshua highlighted that the industry is gearing up for a strategic shift, driven by urgent rehabilitation and reconstruction needs. Speaking on the aftermath of the cyclone, Joshua noted that more..

Dec 5 (FT) Hatch Innovation has marked the conclusion of the first cohort of seven female-led startups from SL’s Northern Province under the GRIT Business Accelerator Program with a Demo Day on the 25 Nov 2025 at HatchWorks in Colombo, where the entrepreneurs showcased their products and businesses to a range of stakeholders including investors, ecosystem builders and market linkage supporters. This is an important step towards building a sustainable, gender-responsive more..