Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa in his Christmas message urged all Sri Lankans to show compassion to each other and stand together for a better nation.
Posts published in “News”
ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka will commemorate this year’s “National Safety Day” on Friday (26) to remember the victims of the 2004 tsunami and those who lost their lives in the recent Ditwah Cyclone, the government said. Arrangements have been made to hold interfaith prayer events centered around the District Secretariat in all districts of the country, the government said in a statement. A two-minute silence will be be observed from 9.25 am to 9.27 am on 26 December 2025, in memory of those who lost their lives in the 2004 tsunami disaster and Ditwah cyclone disaster. The main commemoration event…
Celebrations are resuming across the West Bank as a fragile truce holds in the Gaza Strip, where hundreds of thousands of people are facing the winter in makeshift tents and remain in urgent need of basic assistance.
At least five people have been killed in a bomb explosion in a packed mosque in Nigeria’s north-eastern Borno state, a police spokesman has said.
Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya said the government will continue to work tirelessly towards the common goal of building the “new country” envisioned by the many who have placed their trust in our government, and to ensure that their hopes and aspirations are fulfilled.
The Disaster Management Centre (CMC) says inter‑religious programmes are planned to be held at the district level for this year’s “National Safety Day” programme, considering the situation in Sri Lanka due to Cyclone Ditwah. Issuing a statement, the DMC said that the main commemoration ceremony of “National Safety Day” will be held on December 26, 2025, from 8.30 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. at the Peraliya Tsunami Memorial in Galle. On “National Safety Day,” to remember those who died in the tsunami and other disasters, a two‑minute silence will be observed across the island from 9.25 a.m. to 9.27 a.m. The…
In the face of the recent disaster, the people of Sri Lanka once again demonstrated, in the most practical manner, the noble human virtue of embracing a neighbour in distress with compassion and unwavering resolve, a principle that is upheld by Christianity and all religions, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said.
The heir to Bangladesh’s longtime ruling family and leader of the country’s powerful opposition, Tarique Rahman, has returned to the country after 17 years in exile, his party said. Rahman, 60, an aspiring prime minister who has lived in London since he fled Bangladesh in 2008 over what he called a politically motivated persecution, arrived in Dhaka on Thursday. Acting chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), he is expected to take the reins from his ailing mother, 80-year-old former prime minister Khaleda Zia. The BNP earlier said it aims to mobilise up to five million supporters in the capital…
A special discussion was held under the aegis of the Minister of Health, Nalinda Jayataissa, regarding expanding the process of maintaining proper standards in drug quality testing. During the meeting at the Ministry of Health yesterday, chaired by Minister Jayatissa, attention was focused on expanding the process of maintaining drug standards, with emphasis on conducting drug quality testing in a systematic and regulated manner. Accordingly, officials representing the Sri Lanka Institute of Nanotechnology (SLINTEC), Sri Lanka Institute of Biotechnology (SLIBTEC), Industrial Technology Institute (ITI), Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI), National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) under the Ministry of Health, and…
A high‑level delegation of the Chinese Communist Party met with the General Secretary of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Tilvin Silva, and a group of JVP leaders at the party headquarters on Wednesday (24). The meeting was attended by Wang Junzheng, a member of the 20th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and Secretary of the Party Committee of the Xizang Autonomous Region, Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Qi Zhenhong, and Peng Xiubin, Director‑General of the East and South Asian Affairs Bureau of the International Department of the CCP Central Committee, along with the delegation. Representing the JVP were…
The Ne‑Yo live concert in Sri Lanka, scheduled for 28 December at the Sugathadasa Outdoor Stadium in Colombo, has been postponed, organisers Brown Boy Presents announced yesterday. In a statement released via social media, the organisers said the decision was made due to “unforeseen circumstances and factors beyond their control.” Ticket holders have been assured that refunds will be processed through the PickMe App, which was used for ticket purchases, while no new date for the concert has been confirmed at this stage. Brown Boy Presents expressed regret over the inconvenience caused to fans and noted that further updates regarding…
Minister of Women and Children’s Affairs, Saroja Savitri Paulraj, says the government has paid special attention to establishing a dedicated system for child transportation to the Provincial Probation and Child Protection Departments. “Children have faced difficulties when transported in prison vehicles, including being moved in buses marked as prison transport, travelling alongside adult offenders, and, in some cases, victims being transported in the same vehicle as their alleged perpetrators. These situations have resulted in secondary victimization within the justice process,” she said. Minister Paulraj pointed out that the Supreme Court, during the fundamental rights case S.C. (F/R) 335/2010, has also…
The Japanese police have arrested a Sri Lankan man for allegedly violating the Swords and Firearms Control Law. The Sri Lankan man was arrested after he was seen carrying a utility knife and injuring himself in public on Monday. He was seen pressing a utility knife to his neck outside a Yoshinoya restaurant near Shinagawa Station in Minato-ku, Tokyo. The man sustained bleeding injuries to his hand and neck but remained conscious. The Japanese Police quickly cordoned off the area, engaged him in dialogue and persuaded him to drop the blade. (Newswire/ Dimsum Daily) The post Sri Lankan arrested in…
ECONOMYNEXT – Inflation measured by the Sri Lanka Christmas cake, widely acclaimed to be the world’s most delicious, rich, ‘decadent’ and interesting confection of its kind, has risen by 4.4 percent in 2025, amid rupee depreciation, an analysis of retail prices show. The cost of 11 key ingredients rose to 15,180 rupees by 2025, up from 14,744 in 2024 with rupee inflating 5.3 percent. Rules vs Discretion In the 12 month to November, the rupee fell from 290.90 rupees to 306.30 to the US dollar, as the central bank selectively denied convertibility to private citizens and bought dollars in excess…
Showers are expected in some districts, while mainly fair weather will prevail over most parts of Sri Lanka today, according to the Department of Meteorology. A few showers may occur in the Uva province and in the Ampara, Batticaloa, Matale and Nuwara Eliya districts. Showers or thundershowers will occur at several places in the Sabaragamuwa province, and in the Galle, Matara and Kaluthara districts after 2.00 p.m. Fairly heavy falls above 50 mm are likely at some places. Meanwhile, showers or thundershowers may occur at a few places in the sea areas off the coast extending from Kaluthara to Hambantota…
ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, has called for courage and unity in overcoming the Ditwah cyclone disaster as people of all races and religions came together to help those in need, “This year, the people of Sri Lanka observe Christmas at a decisive moment in our national journey, having faced an extremely challenging natural disaster as a nation and while striving with determination to overcome its hardships and rise again,” he said in message. “The true meaning of Christmas is love, peace, joy, sharing and sacrifice. At the forefront of these values is the commitment to support…
As the month of December dawns, Christian devotees prepare to celebrate Christmas. The message of peace that echoed from Bethlehem with the birth of the infant Jesus continues to be honoured and revered by Christians across the world. However, this year, the month of December has arrived not with the usual joy and festivity. It comes amid the sorrow, pain, and quiet anguish of thousands of our people affected by a natural disaster that has shaken the entire nation. Yet, in keeping with the true meaning of Christmas and guided by the teachings of Jesus Christ, the people of our…
Let Us Dispel the Darkest Era and Illuminate the World with the Lamp of Hope. The dawn of Christmas 2025 arrives while we still carry in our hearts the painful experiences our nation endured in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah, which severely affected Sri Lanka. As a result of this cyclone, we lost much lives, property, livelihoods, and the hopes of our own people in our own country. Above all, what remains deeply etched in our hearts are the tears and suffering of those who lost everything they had. Christmas, celebrated with great reverence to commemorate the birth of Jesus…
Christians around the world joyfully commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ with deep devotion today (25), marking the sacred celebration of Christmas. This year, the people of Sri Lanka observe Christmas at a decisive moment in our national journey, having faced an extremely challenging natural disaster as a nation and while striving with determination to overcome its hardships and rise again. The true meaning of Christmas is love, peace, joy, sharing and sacrifice. At the forefront of these values is the commitment to support the oppressed and the unwavering dedication to the liberation of all people. In the face of…
China’s oil major CNOOC Limited said on Wednesday (Dec 24) it has discovered an oilfield with proved in-place volumes exceeding 100 million tons of oil equivalent in its second big find in the central Bohai Sea.