The government should expedite the disaster relief and rebuilding without saying ’ane please’, Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa said today.
The Sri Lankan Report
Two C-130J Super Hercules and Airmen from the U.S. Air Force 36th Contingency Response Group (CRG) arrived to provide American airlift capability in support of Sri Lanka’s Cyclone Ditwah response, a statement from the U. U. embassy said.
SLTC Research and Innovation Awards 2025: Honoring Research that Matters for Society & Beyond Sri Lanka Technology Campus (SLTC) hosted the SLTC Research and Innovation Awards 2025 on 12th November at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH), bringing together leading academics, innovators, and industry partners to celebrate excellence, creativity, and collaboration in research. Presiding over the ceremony were Prof. Chandrika Wijeyaratne, Vice Chancellor of SLTC, and Dr. Lakshitha Pahalagedara, Chairperson of the Organizing Committee and Dean of the Faculty of Postgraduate Studies and Research. The Guest of Honour was Mr. Krishan Bhalendra, Chairman of John Keells Holdings PLC. Among…
Lando Norris has become Formula 1 world champion for the first time after finishing third in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The 26-year-old becomes Britain’s 11th F1 world champion and is the first McLaren driver to win the title since Lewis Hamilton in 2008. Norris, at the end of his seventh season at the top level, ends Verstappen’s four-year reign at the top of the sport with the Red Bull driver’s extraordinary late-season title comeback falling a mere two points short after he dominated Sunday’s season finale to win the race. (SkyNews) The post Lando Norris wins the 2025 FIA…
ECONOMYNEXT – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will resume discussions to complete Fifth Review of the Sri Lanka’s Extended Fund Facility (EFF) in January as the global lender considers the island nation’s request for Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI) as the priority, the IMF said. The IMF’s Executive Board was to take up Sri Lanka’s fifth review on December 15 and the island nation was to receive around USD 358 million upon the completion. Sri Lanka’s parliament has already passed a largely circumspect budget for 2026, which is a key IMF parameter. However, Sri Lanka’s government has requested a USD 200…
The death toll from the severe weather conditions that swept across Sri Lanka in recent days has risen to 627, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said.
A police sergeant was injured this morning when a firearm accidentally discharged inside the Malabe Police Station. The incident occurred while the officer was checking the firearm.
LankaPay announced that several payment and digital transaction services are temporarily unavailable due to an unexpected power outage at its primary operating site. The disruption has affected interbank ATM transactions, interbank fund transfers through CEFTS, LPOPP government payments, JustPay, LankaPay Cards, GovPay and LANKAQR systems. The LankaSign Digital Certification Authority has also been temporarily suspended. In a statement, LankaPay said its technical teams are working to restore services as soon as possible and apologized for the inconvenience caused to consumers and stakeholders. The company added that further updates will be issued via its official channels once systems are fully operational.…
A Myanmar Air Force flight (Y8) arrived at the Katunayake Air Force camp last night carrying disaster relief.
The Department of Irrigation said that spill gates of seven major reservoirs have been opened due to rising water levels following recent rainfall.
Public Health Inspectors (PHIs) have uncovered an illegal racket involving the processing and distribution of flood-damaged rice deemed unfit for consumption in the Harispattuwa area of the Kandy District.
Has your factory been affected by the floods? If so, here’s what you need to do immediately: First, ensure the safety and well-being of your employees. Inform officials from the Ministry of Industries—SEDD, NEDA, IDB, or EDB—about the nature and extent of the damage. You may also directly notify the Ministry. Immediately inform your insurance company. Notify your bank without delay. Inform EPF/ETF and the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) in writing about the status of your business. Provide the necessary information to officials to obtain the Rs. 200,000 relief grant proposed by the government. Document your own preliminary assessment of…
ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s railway system was badly damaged by Cyclone Ditwah leaving only two lines operating, General Manager of Railways, Ravindra Padmapriya said, after landslides and torrential rains washed away chunks of tracks and damaged bridges. “After this natural disaster we only had the Coastal line and Kelani Valley line left,” Padmapriya told a forum at Sri Lanka’s Government Information Department. The worst damage was to the Kandy, Badulla and Matale tracks in the hill country. In at least 15 places with the ground blasted from under the track by Cyclone Ditwah. “The earth had been undermined under the…
Sri Lanka’s Disaster Management Center says 627 people have died and 190 are missing after the floods and landslides triggered by Cyclone Ditwah. The latest report, issued at noon on December 7, shows more than 2.17 million people have been affected across 25 districts. According to the DMC, a total of 611,530 families have been impacted. At least 4,517 houses have been fully destroyed, while 76,066 have suffered partial damage, placing the number of damaged homes at more than 80,500. Kandy remains the worst-hit district, reporting 232 deaths and 81 missing persons. The district also recorded the highest property destruction,…
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Two C-130J Super Hercules and airmen from the U.S. Air Force’s 36th Contingency Response Group arrived at the Katunayake Air Base today to support airlift operations for affected communities. The team will work with the Sri Lanka Air Force to move emergency supplies — shelter material, water, sanitation support, food and medical aid — to hardest-hit areas identified by the Disaster Management Center. U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung said the mission brings “airlift and logistics muscle” to help frontline responders focus on saving lives. (Newswire) The post US Air Force C-130J aircraft arrive in Sri Lanka for Cyclone Ditwah relief appeared…
Deputy Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr. Madhura Senevirathna says that all access roads to the Nuwara Eliya District have been reopened. Several roads to the district had been closed due to landslides and the risk of further landslides following the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah. Eighty-nine deaths have been reported from the Nuwara Eliya District, while 35 people remain missing. At present, 2,794 individuals are staying in 35 safety centres in the district. The post All access roads to Nuwara Eliya reopened – Deputy Minister appeared first on Newswire.
ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka central bank’s local swaps are a ‘hot money operation’, members of the parliament’s Committee on Public Finance have warned, amid concerns over its inability to build reserves in 2025. The COPF has also made a discovery that domestic inflationary swaps are not considered a reserve related liability that is deducted by the central bank when arriving at its own Net International Reserve (NIR) number. Questions have also been raised by other analysts about publicly declared reserve money numbers where some excess rupee reserves which banks can use for final clearing of transactions appear to be excluded.…
Thundershowers accompanied with severe lightning are likely to occur at some places in Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in Galle and Matara districts. There may be temporary localized strong winds during thundershowers. General public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by lightning activity. The post Thundershowers accompanied with severe lightning : Warning for 7 districts appeared first on Newswire.
Public Health Inspectors (PHIs) have uncovered a racket in which flood-damaged rice, unfit for human consumption, was being illegally processed and released to the market. PHIs apprehended the suspects in the Harispattuwa area in the Kandy District, seizing 1,000 kilograms of the processed rice, according to Pradeep Boralessa, President of the Sri Lanka Public Health Inspectors’ Union. Boralessa said officers are monitoring for similar fraudulent operations across the island and urged businesses not to engage in such practices. He also reminded the public to be vigilant when purchasing rice, particularly at this time. The PHIs’ union requests anyone with information…