George Keyt Foundation donates Rs. 3 m to relief efforts
George Keyt Foundation donates Rs. 3 m to relief efforts View(s):The George Keyt Foundation has extended support worth Rs. 3 million to the Government of Sri Lanka’s disaster relief efforts following the severe devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah. In 2023, the Foundation undertook its first major fundraiser in recent years by issuing 30 numbered limited edition prints of Kangodi Rangi, a painting by George Keyt entrusted to the Foundation. The contribution was formally handed over to Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya for utilisation in the Government’s ongoing relief and recovery efforts.
Source:Sunday Times
January 04, 2026 07:01 UTC
Cyclone Ditwah exposed Lanka’s real housing crisis
Cyclone Ditwah exposed Lanka’s real housing crisis View(s):A land-use and population capacity analysisBy Sydney Marcus SilvaSri Lanka’s recurring housing crises, increasingly intensified by climate-related disasters, reflect long-standing structural failures in land-use planning rather than absolute land scarcity. This paper argues that Sri Lanka’s housing crisis is fundamentally a land-use governance problem, shaped by historical environmental transformation, weak regulatory enforcement, and the absence of long-term settlement planning. Colonial land transformationand environmental degradationThe roots of Sri Lanka’s contemporary land-use challenges lie in the colonial plantation economy established after 1815. DiscussionThe findings challenge the widely held assumption that Sri Lanka’s housing crisis is driven by land scarcity. Development of a national housing and settlement strategy emphasising semi-rural and suburban growth nodes linked to industry and services.
Source:Sunday Times
January 04, 2026 05:34 UTC
Missing Professional Leadership in Disaster Governance: Lessons from Cyclone Ditwa
Missing Professional Leadership in Disaster Governance: Lessons from Cyclone DitwaOpinionA country that invests heavily in free education deserves professional leadership in return; the impacts of Cyclone Ditwa raise critical questions about whether that responsibility was fully honoured. During Cyclone Ditwa in Sri Lanka, that level of coordinated, proactive expert engagement was largely absent. If the academic sector remains passive, Sri Lanka risks losing one of its most potent tools for disaster risk reduction. Cyclone Ditwa must be the turning point when the country demands visible, proactive, ethically grounded leadership from its technical and academic elite. Dr. Duminda Perera is a Disaster Risk Reduction and Water Security Specialist (Civil Engineer & Hydrologist) with expertise in flood risk management, water security, and early warning systems.
Source:Sunday Times
January 04, 2026 05:08 UTC
ComBank launches Dynamic Currency Conversion for online payments
ComBank launches Dynamic Currency Conversion for online payments View(s):As part of Commercial Bank of Ceylon’s sustained efforts to strengthen tourism-related businesses and improve convenience for foreign travellers, the bank has partnered with Mastercard to introduce Sri Lanka’s first Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) capability for online payments, marking a significant milestone in the country’s digital payments landscape. Enabled via the Mastercard Payment Gateway Services (MPGS) platform, the new DCC feature allows international cardholders making online purchases from Sri Lankan merchants and to pay in their home currency at checkout, the bank said in a media release. This first-of-its-kind capability for online payments in Sri Lanka is designed to help local merchants grow their business by making it easier for foreign travellers to book and pay online with confidence. By enabling Mastercard Payment Gateway Services (MPGS) with Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC), Sri Lankan merchants, particularly in travel, hospitality and leisure can offer overseas customers a more transparent checkout experience when making reservations for flights, accommodation and related services. DCC offers foreign cardholders the option to view and confirm the final transaction amount in their home currency before completing an online purchase, rather than being charged in Sri Lankan Rupees.
Source:Sunday Times
January 04, 2026 04:03 UTC
Rs 11.5bn CEB ‘golden handshake’ to be funded with tariff increase
Rs 11.5bn CEB ‘golden handshake’ to be funded with tariff increase View(s):By Kapila BandaraA multibillion rupee ‘golden handshake’ for state workers choosing voluntary early exit will be funded by raising electricity tariffs from January to March, the Ceylon Electricity Board has proposed. CEB proposes to increase tariffs by an overall 11.57% to bridge an estimated Rs 13.094b financial deficit from January to March. External concessionary financing is being explored to fund rehabilitation costs, which are not included in the tariff submission, CEB says. Some CEB workers draw salaries that exceed Rs 3.4m a year. For the nine months ended September 2025, the CEB booked a loss of Rs 9.5b on revenue of Rs 311.4b.
Source:Sunday Times
January 04, 2026 03:35 UTC
Laws to shift responsibility for packaging on to producers
Laws to shift responsibility for packaging on to producers View(s):By Nidarshani WickramasingheLaws will be introduced to make manufacturers take responsibility for polythene and plastic products, Environment Minister Dammika Patabendi told the Sunday Times. The Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) concept has already been included in the proposed amendments to the National Environment Act. Polythene even from the 1970s has been discovered embedded in the soil in Sri Pada now. Mr Jayakodi clarified that it is not possible now to impose fines on devotees for entering the Sri Pada region carrying polythene material. Visitors will not be allowed to throw food, beverages, medicines, or any other commodity with polythene or plastic packaging inside the environmentally sensitive zones.
Source:Sunday Times
January 04, 2026 03:35 UTC
Deminers prepare ground for livelihoods pushing through funding challenges
Deminers prepare ground for livelihoods pushing through funding challenges View(s):By Kevin de AlwisClearing Sri Lanka’s remaining landmines is not only dangerous it is expensive, time-consuming, and increasingly underfunded. Despite steady progress over the years, The HALO Trust now faces mounting financial and operational challenges that threaten efforts to clear all mines from Sri Lanka by 2028 under the Ottawa Convention. “It costs about US$4 (about Rs 1,239) to clear just one square metre of contaminated land,” explained Hugh Baker, Programme Manager for The HALO Trust in Sri Lanka. “Unlike many post-conflict countries, mines in Sri Lanka are not confined to open land,” said Farzana Badueland of The HALO Trust. “It is restoring dignity and opportunity.”A key strength of HALO’s Sri Lanka programme is its reliance on local deminers, many of whom come from mine-affected communities themselves.
Source:Sunday Times
January 04, 2026 03:34 UTC
SSC to officially become Sri Lanka’s fifth floodlit venue
SSC to officially become Sri Lanka’s fifth floodlit venue cricket View(s): View(s):The Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) could soon host pink-ball Test matches following the installation of floodlights at the country’s premier Test venue, according to Samantha Dodanwela, Chairman of the Cricket Committee of the century-old club. The SSC is currently being upgraded to host several ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 fixtures, with floodlights being installed at a cost of Rs. Many countries are talking about day-night cricket and I believe this will be the best venue in Sri Lanka to play day-night matches. He also thanked Sri Lanka Cricket for funding not only the floodlighting project but also the proposed construction of three-tier spectator stands between the SLC headquarters and the media box. The SSC will host the first World Cup match of the Sri Lanka leg on February 7, when Pakistan take on the Netherlands.
Source:Sunday Times
January 04, 2026 00:58 UTC
Trying times last year
Trying times last year View(s):Come sun or rain, Aldoris, the choon-paan karaya, will come down the lane on any January 1st of the year, hoping for some calendars and diaries from customers. “He is like a loose cannon,” he said,In tracing the key events that impacted on Sri Lanka, the first issue is also a Trump-related decision. AI – Artificial Intelligence – is the buzzword nowadays and many in Sri Lanka have embraced this technology. In December, Sri Lanka was floored by Cyclone Ditwah, the worst natural disaster since the December 2004 tsunami. Fresh estimates of the cost of rebuilding the country this year have been recorded at over US$ 4 billion, much of which Sri Lanka would have to rely on donors.
Source:Sunday Times
January 04, 2026 00:58 UTC
FM Herath stuck in Dhaka traffic, misses Khaleda’s funeral
FM Herath stuck in Dhaka traffic, misses Khaleda’s funeral View(s):Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath flew to Bangladesh on Wednesday (December 31) to attend the state funeral of former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, who passed away at the age of 80. Despite being given a police escort from the airport, the motorcade carrying Minister Herath could make little headway in the face of huge crowds of mourners that had travelled from all over Bangladesh to pay their respects to the late premier. Minister Herath was not the only foreign dignitary who missed the state funeral after being stuck in traffic. In the end, Minister Herath and other foreign dignitaries met members of the Zia family privately and offered their condolences. He then met with Tarique Rahman, son of the late leader and chairperson of her Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
Source:Sunday Times
January 03, 2026 22:41 UTC
An insider’s account from the corridors of power
An insider’s account from the corridors of power View(s):Thisuri Wanniarachchi won the State Literary Award for Best English Novel at just 16 with her first book ‘Colombo Streets’. Her new book ‘The Department of Chosen Ones’ is an eye-opening insider’s account of how power truly operates inside the Sri Lankan state set against Sri Lanka’s recent political upheavals. I was barely three months old when he was transferred out of Colombo to the war zone. I was too little to understand what war really meant, but I knew what fear felt like, especially when the phone rang. Working for him, going home didn’t feel like going home; it felt like I was constantly working, even when I wasn’t.
Source:Sunday Times
January 03, 2026 20:36 UTC
Disasters and devolution debacle
Disasters and devolution debacle View(s):As the 2024 elected JVP-NPP appeared to be settling in after a year in the seat of government, their ‘Rendezvous with Destiny’ to change the political landscape was sent into a tailspin in just 24 hours by a natural disaster: a cyclone turned out to be their tormentor, not the political opposition they were hounding all year long. Many councils under Opposition control were bereft of this support even for cyclone relief work. Either way, the end result is that many of the local councils are dysfunctional today. Is that what the Provincial Councils are going to produce in elections pledged for this year? Very little is discussed of the effectiveness of these councils, which merely drain public funds in salaries and expenses.
Source:Sunday Times
January 03, 2026 20:36 UTC
New Year starts with Ariyawansa’s movie
New Year starts with Ariyawansa’s movie View(s):‘Malaki Duwe Numba’By Susitha R. FernandoFollowing the successive release of several Sinhala films in 2025, some of which went on to become box-office hits, the New Year opens on a promising note with the release of Malaki Duwe Numba, directed by Kalpana Ariyawansa and Vindana Ariyawansa. Featuring the late queen of Sri Lankan cinema, Malini Fonseka, the film is a special juncture in Sri Lankan cinema as the cast included three generations of Fonseka family. Having screened at a number of international film festivals, “Premaya Nam” was nominated for Best Picture by a New Director, the Best New Director, and the Best New Screenwriter awards at the Beijing International Film Festival. The film was also nominated for Best First Film at the Cayman Islands International Film Festival and for the Best Feature Film at the Chicago South Asian Film Festival. Additionally the film represented Sri Lankan at several international film festivals in Shanghai, Goa, Kerala, London, Florida, and Chicago.
Source:Sunday Times
January 03, 2026 20:36 UTC
Army outclass Ragama with a day to spare
Army outclass Ragama with a day to spare cricket View(s): View(s):Army Sports Club registered a comprehensive innings and 199-run win over Ragama Cricket Club with a day to spare in their SLC Major Club Tier ‘B’ 3-day encounter concluded at the Army ground in Panagoda yesterday. The Army SC win came on the back of fine allround performances by Seekkuge Prasanna and Shehada Zoysa, who excelled in batting and bowling departments. Meanwhile SSC have put themselves in line to record their fifth successive outright win in as many matches when play ended on day two against Sebastianites at Reid Avenue. Sebastianites did better in the second innings before being bowled out for 226 runs, leaving SSC a simple target of 86 runs. They need another 80 runs when play gets underway on the final day today.
Source:Sunday Times
January 03, 2026 20:36 UTC
Government carefully drives data centres amid Ditwah
Government carefully drives data centres amid Ditwah By Duruthu Edirimuni Chandrasekera View(s): View(s):The government has initiated a systematic, technology-based approach to deploy data centres, opening opportunities for industry participation, but recent natural disasters have raised serious concerns over the feasibility and risks associated with establishing the much-anticipated data centre, a top official said. “After Cyclone Ditwah, the selection of land for the data centre must be examined very carefully. The data centre must be built on solid ground; otherwise, the location itself could become a major business risk,” he told the Sunday Times Business. “With the non-aligned political status in the country, we are looking at AI data centres as data embassies in the country for other countries to use. The period for Expression of Interest for the data centres has been extended, and the Board of Investment will do a detailed discussion on securing the land, he added.
Source:Sunday Times
January 03, 2026 20:36 UTC