A video shared on social media following the annual colours night ceremony at Sirimavo Bandaranaike Vidyalaya has sparked widespread public debate after a student claimed she was unfairly deprived of a sports award. The video, which has since gone viral, shows the student making a public announcement stating that she did not receive an award during the colours night ceremony held on December 19, alleging it was due to her failure to attend rehearsals despite her sporting achievements. Since its circulation, the video has drawn mixed reactions online. Some social media users praised the student for speaking out, describing her…
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Photo courtesy of Amnesty International “It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.” George Orwell (1984) Some fates are written in broken promises. The UNP’s 1977 election manifesto acknowledged the existence of a Tamil ethnic problem, enumerated some of its root causes, promised to resolve it politically and highlighted the nexus between national economic development and the peaceful resolution of the grievances of the Tamil speaking people. “The United National Party accepts the position that there are numerous problems confronting the Tamil-speaking people. The lack of a solution to their problems has made the…
ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s Treasury can manage debt repayments with Asian Development Bank loans and a Rapid Finance Instrument up to the first two months of 2026, Additional Director General, Treasury Operations, Damitha Rathnayake said. Sri Lanka was counting on the 350 million dollar, IMF tranche for debt service, she said, responding to questions from opposition member Ravi Karunanayake during a hearing of Committee on Public Finance. The IMF’s fifth review was due to have been completed in December. “From the side of the government we were planning to use the cash inflow (from the IMF loan) for debt service,”…
A meeting between Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya and a delegation from UNICEF was held on December 20 at the Prime Minister’s Office to discuss rebuilding schools affected by the recent disaster. During the meeting, the Prime Minister outlined steps taken by the government to protect students and restore the damaged school system, while also highlighting challenges faced in the recovery process. She said reopening schools located in landslide-prone areas would pose serious risks and that the government is identifying such schools for relocation to safer locations based on scientific assessments. The Prime Minister noted that financial assistance has been provided…
Sri Lanka’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Arun Hemachandra, will undertake an official visit to Israel from December 21 to 25 as head of the Sri Lankan delegation to the Joint Committee on the foreign employment sector. The Deputy Minister said the visit will focus on engaging in bilateral discussions related to foreign employment and strengthening cooperation between the two countries in the sector. He will also take part in a series of community engagements with Sri Lankans residing in Israel during the visit. (Newswire) The post Sri Lanka Deputy FM to lead delegation to Israel appeared first on Newswire.
Sri Lanka’s Minister of Health and Mass Media, Nalinda Jayatissa, led a delegation to India from December 17 to 19 to attend the 2nd WHO Traditional Medicine Global Summit in New Delhi, according to the High Commission of India in Colombo. The summit was held at Bharat Mandapam under the theme “Restoring Balance: The Science and Practice of Health and Well-Being” and was jointly organised by the World Health Organization and India’s Ministry of Ayush. During the summit, Minister Jayatissa participated in a ministerial roundtable and delivered remarks highlighting Sri Lanka’s experience and long-standing traditions in Ayurveda and traditional healing…
India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is set to visit Sri Lanka tomorrow, a trip coming at a time when Delhi immediately reached out to its neighbour amid ongoing recovery from one of the country’s worst natural disasters in decades. The visit follows India’s swift and extensive humanitarian response to Cyclone Ditwah, which struck Sri Lanka on 27 November 2025, triggering catastrophic floods and landslides that have claimed over 600 lives and affected millions. India launched Operation Sagar Bandhu immediately after the cyclone made landfall, becoming the first nation to deploy specialised disaster responders. Within hours, Indian naval ships already…
At least five people were killed in a series of separate road accidents reported from different parts of Sri Lanka on December 20, police said. In the Jaffna police area, a 63-year-old woman died following a collision between a motorcycle and a tractor on the Jaffna–Vaddukoddai road in the Pommaiveli area. The pillion rider died after being admitted to the Jaffna hospital, while the rider sustained serious injuries. The tractor driver has been arrested. In the Dimbulpathana police area, two pedestrians aged 21 and 60 were killed when a lorry travelling from Hatton to Nuwara Eliya lost control and collided…
A 73-year-old man has died after being attacked by wasps in the Thalathuoya police area, police said. The incident occurred on the morning of December 20 in the Gurudeniya area, where four individuals were attacked by a swarm of wasps. All four sustained injuries and were admitted to the Thalathuoya hospital. One of the victims was later transferred to the Kandy Teaching Hospital for further treatment, where he died. The deceased was a 73-year-old resident of the Gurudeniya area. His body has been placed at the Kandy Teaching Hospital morgue. Thalathuoya Police are conducting further investigations. (Newswire) The post Man…
A two-year-old child has died after drowning in a water-filled pit in the Aralaganwila police area, police said. The incident occurred on the morning of December 20 in the Kandegama area, where the child had fallen into a pit filled with water on a private land. The child was pronounced dead while being taken to the Aralaganwila hospital. The victim was a resident of the Kandegama, Damminna area, police said. The body has been placed at the Aralaganwila hospital morgue, and further investigations are being conducted by Aralaganwila Police. (Newswire) The post Two-Year-Old Child Dies After Drowning appeared first on…
Photo courtesy of The Island Recent engagements between the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) and the Tamil National People’s Front (TNFP), together with earlier discussions involving Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, have once again brought Sri Lanka’s Tamil political question into public focus. After years of stalled political processes, postponed elections and unmet commitments, these interactions have generated renewed expectations among Tamils in the North and East while simultaneously reviving long standing scepticism shaped by experience. The central question remains unchanged and unavoidable: will these political manoeuvres produce tangible outcomes or will they once again conclude with carefully worded…
Photo courtesy of IFEX Repressive government actions that restrict citizen behaviour undermine political legitimacy and fuel anti-government 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, governments must involve citizens in reforms, foster consensus through public engagement and prioritise dynamic interactions over outdated repressive measures. Public consensus and accountability provide stability while coercive measures against populations generate instability. During the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections, the NPP pledged to abolish the draconian Prevention…
WEATHER FORECAST FOR 21 DECEMBER 2025 Issued at 05.30 a.m. on 21 December 2025 Several spells of showers will occur in Eastern, Uva and Central provinces and in Polonnaruwa and Hambantota districts. Showers or thundershowers may occur at a few places in Sabaragamuwa province and in Galle, Matara and Kalutara districts after 2.00 p.m. Fairly strong winds of about 40 kmph can be expected at times over Eastern slopes of the central hills, Northern, Eastern, North-central and North-western provinces and in Hambantota and Monaragala districts. Misty conditions can be expected at some places in Western, Sabaragamuwa and Central provinces and in Galle and Matara districts…
ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka may spend about 1,000 billion rupees (about 3.5bn dollars) on Ditwah relief and recovery over three years, Deputy Treasury Secretary A K Seneviratne has said. In December 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 parliament’s Committee on Public Finance. For 2026, a 500 billion rupees in extra spending was approved by parliament on Friday. Among the funds would be 115 billion rupees to strengthen slopes on key roads. About 100 billion rupees in re-allocated spending will also be used…
Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has launched an investigation into unauthorized access to the Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) used by the Police Narcotics Bureau to track multi-day fishing vessels and boats suspected of transporting narcotics. Police said the system had been accessed using 57 different IP addresses, raising serious concerns that sensitive operational data had been leaked to drug traffickers. The VMS plays a critical role in monitoring fishing vessels suspected of smuggling large quantities of narcotics into the country. In recent years, information obtained through the system has enabled the Police Narcotics Bureau, with support from the Sri…
Sri Lanka Railways will expand its ticket refund facilities beyond Colombo from December 25, Transport Minister Bimal Ratnayake said. Until now, ticket refunds were processed only at Fort and Maradana railway stations. From December 25, refunds will be available at Badulla, Ella, Bandarawela, Haputale, Nanu Oya and Hatton. Refund services will also be introduced on a pilot basis at Anuradhapura, Jaffna and Batticaloa. The minister said Kandy railway station will be added to the list in January. (Newswire) The post Ticket refunds facilities to be available at more railway stations from Dec 25 appeared first on Newswire.
A special discussion to review district-level plans for restoring the lives of citizens under the ’Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ programme was held today (20) at the Presidential Secretariat under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi have been sentenced to 17 years in prison after a Pakistani court found them guilty of illegally retaining and selling valuable state gifts. The sentence, handed down on Saturday, capped a years-long saga that saw the duo accused of selling various gifts – including jewellery from the Saudi Arabian government – at far below market value. They have denied all charges. Imran was imprisoned starting in August 2023 on various charges of corruption and revealing state secrets, all of which he has denied and claimed to be politically motivated.…
Under the direction of the Secretary of Defence, dedicated Public Assistance Helpdesk will be established commencing on 21 December 2025, in the Galle Face area, located in front of the Presidential Secretariat.
Gill, 26, has scored only 291 runs in his past 15 matches in the game’s shortest format at an average of 24.25.