Dec 9 (DM) Sri Lanka’s tourism authorities are expecting to roll out the long-delayed visa-free facility for 40 countries starting coming January, as the island nation aggressively positions itself for a strong winter season recovery following the cyclone impact. SLTDA Chairman Buddhika Hewawasam revealed that the scheme is now expected to come into effect from January, following necessary legislative clearances. more..

Dec 9 (ST) As the deadly cyclone Ditwah continued to batter large swathes of the country last week, the tri-forces and police mounted one of the most extensive disaster responses in recent years, with air, naval, and ground teams operating around the clock to reach civilians trapped in rubble and marooned in rising water. A total of 31,064 tri-force troops were deployed on the ground alone for search-and-rescue and humanitarian support. Despite improvements in several districts, more..

Dec 9 (AD) Indian Navy has deployed four more warships to support relief efforts in cyclone-hit regions of SL as part of the ongoing Operation Sagar Bandhu, which aims to provide urgent Search & Rescue (SAR) and Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief (HADR) aid. The deployment includes INS Gharial and three Landing Craft Utility (LCU) vessels — LCU 54, LCU 51, and LCU 57 — tasked with delivering nearly 1,000 tons of essential relief supplies to affected coastal areas, more..

Dec 9 (DM) The legendary Sinharaja rainforest is one of the last remaining vestiges of widespread lowland rainforests that pay homage to an exceptionally concentrated biome consisting of endemic and threatened species. Sinharaja covers unforgiving mountainous terrain of Rakwana hills in the South-Western region of the country and is under constant study in a quest to discover its mysteries. As it is a treasury of biological wealth, the entire region was declared a National more..

Dec 9 (ST) All arrangements have been set afoot by Sri Lanka Badminton (SLB) to hold the 73rd National Badminton Championship 2025 from December 17 to 23 at the S. Thomas’ College Indoor Sports Complex in Mt. Lavinia. Organised and conducted by SLB, the country’s core domestic badminton event will take place at Mount Lavinia for seven consecutive days, with an expected high participation of top ranked and leading shuttlers of the country, in different categories. more..

Dec 9 (FT) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake used an interview with US publication Newsweek to outline the Govt’s priorities at a moment when the country is attempting to stabilise an economy hit by debt distress and a climate disaster. He said the greatest challenge is breaking the cycle in which progress is followed by repeated setbacks. “Our biggest challenge is achieving sustainable and equitable development while dealing with more..

Dec 9 (DM) Odel PLC has scrapped plans for luxury apartments at its flagship Odel Mall project in Ward Place, pivoting instead to office space as part of a broader remedial strategy to address severe financial headwinds that have seen the retailer placed on the Colombo Stock Exchange’s Watch List. The strategic shift was disclosed alongside the company’s annual report for the 2024/25 financial year, where Odel reported a net loss of Rs.4.45 billion. more..

Dec 9 (FT) HNB PLC has been awarded the title of Strongest Bank in Sri Lanka for 2025 by TAB Global. The recognition was confirmed following the release of the TAB Global World’s 1000 Largest and Strongest Banks Rankings, with the announcement made recently in Frankfurt during SWIFT’s annual Sibos conference. HNB CEO Damith Pallewatte said the accolade underscores the bank’s unwavering commitment to sustained financial strength and strategic resilience, more..

Dec 9 (ST) Both the epics of yesteryear and the management books of today are full of stories of adversity that make – and sometimes break – the protagonist of the parable. In Thanura Abeywardena’s case, a painful injury in his final year in school set the course of his future career. Playing rugby for his school S. Thomas College, Mount Lavinia against Wesley College, he tore a ligament in his knee. He was taken to a govt hospital, which did an x-ray. more..

Dec 9 (FT) Abu Dhabi-headquartered Lulu Group Chairman Yusuff Ali has led the UAE residents supporting ongoing cyclone relief and recovery efforts in SL, following the destruction caused by Cyclone Ditwah. He handed over financial assistance of Rs. 32 million ($ 100,000) from the retail group to Ambassador of SL to the UAE Arusha Cooray at the Embassy of SL in Abu Dhabi. The contribution will go towards the national relief and recovery fund to help affected families more..

Dec 9 (FT) Over 3,200 industries across all categories have so far reported damage from Cyclone Ditwah, according to preliminary data compiled by the Industry Ministry, which stressed that the numbers remain subject to updates as assessments continue. Industrialists have reported losses across 138 large-scale industries, 718 medium-scale industries, 1,134 small-scale industries, 1,009 micro-scale industries, more..

Dec 9 (Island) Some opposition political parties have striven hard to turn the disaster of Cyclone Ditwah to their advantage. A calamity of such unanticipated proportions ought to have enabled all political parties to come together to deal with this tragedy. Failure to do so would indicate both political and moral bankruptcy. The main issue they have forcefully brought up is the govt’s failure to take early action on the Meteorological Dept’s warnings. The Opposition even convened a meeting of more..

Dec 9 (Island) Perhaps the unfolding political drama in Sri Lanka could be considered an even better example of the Theatre of the Absurd than Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot or Eugčne Ionesco’s seminal absurdist work, The Bald Soprano. Deputy Minister Mahinda Jayasinghe has called for legal action against Opposition politicians for what he describes as their failure to warn the public about extreme weather events in the lead-up to the landfall of Cyclone Ditwah. more..

Dec 9 (ST) Addressing Parliament this week following stinging public anger regarding his Govt’s inability to effectively mitigate as well as manage the deadly impact of Cyclone Ditwah leaving hundreds dead, thousands displaced and wreaking unprecedented destruction particularly in the Central and Uva Provinces, Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake brushed away alarm over the possibility of emergency law being employed against the media, referring to an unnecessary fuss. more..

Dec 9 (GV) On Nov 27 at 9.17 pm I received this SMS message in Sinhala. Special announcement. Due to existing disaster situation, public living in lowlands should be on alert and if needed, go to secure places. Disaster Management Centre (DMC). This message was alarming and also confusing. Which specific areas are referred to as lowlands? What does it mean if needed? What are the secure places that we could go to? How could my parents of 89 and 85 years and many others with more..

Dec 9 (CT) The first thing you need to understand about Cyclone Ditwah is that it didn’t just take lives, though it took more than 400, with hundreds still missing. It didn’t just destroy homes, though entire neighbourhoods vanished beneath water that rose faster than anyone could have imagined. What it really did was strip everything down to the absolute essentials, leaving only one question that mattered – who are we when everything else is gone? more..

Dec 9 (CT) As the days following the floods that devastated most of the country continue, we are finding that the harm and destruction of the cyclonic storm extend far beyond what is anticipated. Property, land, infrastructure and human livelihoods are the most apparent, but there’s also the delays that affect the functions of State institutions, and the destruction of critical documents and archives pertinent to people’s lives and the country’s modern history. more..

Dec 9 (DM) When Cyclone Ditwah swept across Sri Lanka in late November 2025, the force of nature felt almost unreal. Hundreds of people died, thousands remain unaccounted for, and more than 147,000 were pushed from the places they once called home. Beneath this stark physical destruction, another emergency has unfolded more quietly, and it may take much longer to heal- the toll on older adults. To SL’s elderly, the immediate danger of floods and landslides is just the first blow. more..

Dec 9 (TM) SL, still counting the damage and its dead from the impact of Cyclone Ditwah, is trying to clear roads and rebuild homes as the rubble is removed and life tries to return to some normalcy. More than a week after Ditwah tore across the island – its ferocity unmatched in living memory – the country remains in the grip of a humanitarian, economic, and political crisis. Floods and landslides that followed have claimed hundreds of lives more..

Dec 9 (TM) The recent heavy rains, floods and landslides claimed 100s of lives and left scores displaced across the island. Many essential services also stretched thin as communities struggled to cope with yet another extreme weather event. However, amidst the devastation, one thing became immediately clear. That is the remarkable spirit of unity and compassion that Sri Lankans continue to show in times of crisis. From the earliest days of the disaster, ordinary people stepped forward more..

Dec 9 (DM) Sri Lanka, the Pearl of the Indian Ocean, boasts of a history stretching back over 2,500 years, rich with cultural heritage and resilience forged through centuries, including foreign rule from 1505 to 1948. Yet, as the nation moves further from independence, a disquieting question looms: Is the national survival of Sri Lanka fundamentally threatened? The premise that national survival rests on seven crucial pillars National Economy, National Security, National Culture, more..

Dec 8 (EN) SL’s Export Development Board (EDB) has begun damage assessments of exporters most affected by Cyclone Ditwah, and will launch a relief and recovery program, it said. “These measures focus on minimizing disruptions to export operations to ensure a steady flow of goods and services to international markets,” EDB said. Efforts are being made to mitigate the adverse impact on production capacity, safeguarding the ability of exporters to maintain output levels, the trade body said. more..

Dec 8 (CT) At least 35 school students and 10 teachers were reported dead in the Kandy District alone as a result of the recent floods and landslides. Director of Education Nihal Alahakoon said one school student had also been killed in the Matale District, while casualty figures from Nuwara Eliya District were still being compiled. He added that there was, as yet, no confirmed data on the number of missing school students and teachers, as field assessments were still ongoing in several more..

Dec 8 (FT) Finance Ministry has announced a wide-ranging financial support program for households and businesses hit by Cyclone Ditwah, as the Govt moves to stabilise communities and prevent deeper economic scarring from the country’s worst natural disaster in years. The relief scheme adds fiscal pressure at a time when the Treasury is attempting to consolidate public finances under the IMF program. more..

Dec 8 (Island) Switzerland has delivered a consignment of essential WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) relief equipment and personnel to support Sri Lanka’s disaster response efforts following recent extreme weather conditions. The cargo, which arrived at the BIA on Saturday (6), was officially handed over by a visiting Swiss WASH Mission delegation led by Mr Martin Bölsterli, Team Leader of the WASH Mission, and Ms Yvonne Josy Müller, Senior Coordinator of the Mission. more..

Dec 8 (CT) A Myanmar Air Force Y-8 transport aircraft carrying humanitarian assistance arrived at the Katunayake Air Force Base on 6 Dec to support displaced communities affected by the ongoing severe weather conditions. The consignment includes sanitation materials, medical supplies, and other essential relief items intended for families impacted by flooding and adverse weather across the island. A delegation from the Govt of Myanmar accompanied the shipment. more..

Dec 8 (FT) International Finance Corporation (IFC) South Asia Regional Director Imad Fakhoury has urged SL to move beyond economic stabilisation and decisively enter a phase of competitive, private sector-led growth, warning that the Govt’s limited fiscal room makes sustained reforms and private capital mobilisation indispensable. Delivering the keynote at the Investment Point of View session of more..

Dec 8 (CT) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake instructed officials to prepare the farmers in the Anuradhapura District whose paddy cultivation was destroyed due to floods to re-cultivate during the upcoming Maha Season. Highlighting the need for all relevant institutions to work in proper coordination, treating this as a national necessity, Prez instructed the authorities to provide compensation to farmers without delay and to ensure temporary irrigation water supply more..

Dec 8 (AD) SL Police stated that a telecom service provider has requested the IGP to inform the public about the risk of damage to telecommunication cables that have been exposed in several areas due to the prevailing adverse weather conditions. According to the company, essential communication cables including fiber optic and copper lines have been damaged or exposed in public areas as a result of the severe disaster situation affecting many parts of the island. more..

Dec 8 (DM) Health authorities are facing a massive challenge in preventing spoiled and unsafe food from reaching markets in the aftermath of the recent extreme weather conditions that caused widespread flooding across SL. With livestock farms in several districts washed away or severely damaged, many cattle, goats, pigs, and poultry have reportedly died. This prompts fears that some individuals may attempt to sell meat obtained from dead animals to unsuspecting buyers. more..

Dec 8 (NW) Sri Lanka will receive full support from the United Nations (UN) for recovery and reconstruction following the recent extreme weather disaster, the UN Resident Representative in Sri Lanka Mark Andrew said on Monday. He made the pledge during a meeting with Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath at the ministry. Andrew said the UN has decided to provide an initial US$ 4.5 million under its Emergency Response Fund to support immediate relief for affected communities. more..