http://www.sundaytimes.lk Official website of the Sunday Times Newspaper in Sri Lanka Sat, 27 Dec 2025 19:56:39 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 http://www.sundaytimes.lk/251228/news/this-is-not-gaza-it-is-badulla-626151.html 28 December 2025 @ 12:17 am lt;img class= quot;aligncenter size-full wp-image-626152 quot; title= quot;IMG_20251227_123310_P1 quot; src= quot;http://sundaytimes.lk/251228/uploads/2025/12/IMG_20251227_123310_P1.jpg quot; alt= quot; quot; width= quot;500 quot; height= quot;282 quot; / gt; One month after Cyclone Ditwah, displaced families remain in local schools and will welcome the New Year 2026 in temporary shelters such... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/251228/news/indo-lanka-committee-to-oversee-post-ditwah-reconstruction-626147.html 28 December 2025 @ 12:16 am lt;strong gt;Indian experts and technicians coming to carry out nbsp; lt;/strong gt; lt;strong gt;projects under US$450 million recovery package lt;/strong gt; lt;strong gt;By Damith Wickremasekara lt;/strong gt; A joint official committee consisting of Sri Lankan and Indian officials will be entrusted with handling India rsquo;s US$450 million post-disaster reconstruction package, a sen... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/251228/news/firearm-for-madush-devananda-held-under-72-hour-pta-detention-626145.html 28 December 2025 @ 12:14 am lt;strong gt;By Ranjith Padmasiri lt;/strong gt; A 72-hour detention order under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) has been obtained against former minister Douglas Devananda after he was arrested over the disappearance of a firearm issued to him by the Sri Lanka Army for his personal protection. The former minister rsquo;s arrest came following information provided by an associate of... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/251228/news/scammers-circle-for-disaster-cash-626143.html 28 December 2025 @ 12:13 am lt;strong gt; lt;em gt;By Nidarshani Wickramasinghe lt;/em gt; lt;/strong gt; There was an upsurge in the number of online fraud complaints linked to donation campaigns for disaster relief in the wake of cyclone Ditwah as well as promotion offers for the festive season, a senior official of the Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (Sri Lanka CERT) said. Charuka Damunupola, the senior... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/251228/news/state-bodies-told-no-disaster%e2%80%91aid-requests-without-treasury-approval-626141.html 28 December 2025 @ 12:13 am lt;strong gt; lt;em gt;By S. Rubatheesan lt;/em gt; lt;/strong gt; State institutions have been warned to refrain from direct dealings with local or foreign partners when seeking financial assistance for disaster recovery, unless they have first obtained the approval of the Treasury rsquo;s National Planning Department. In a circular sent to line ministry secretaries, nbsp; provincial chief... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/251228/news/trial-at-bar-proposed-for-cases-against-ranil-and-deshabandu-626139.html 28 December 2025 @ 12:12 am lt;strong gt;By Ranjith Padmasiri lt;/strong gt; Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Dileepa Peiris has proposed that indictments be filed before a three-judge trial-at-bar once investigations into two high-profile cases involving former President Ranil Wickremesinghe and former police chief Deshabandu Tennakoon are completed. The two cases he was referring to are the alleged misappropriatio... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/251228/news/package-visitors-spend-more-earnings-show-links-to-stays-and-spending-626178.html 28 December 2025 @ 12:08 am lt;strong gt; lt;em gt;By nbsp;Kapila Bandara lt;/em gt; lt;/strong gt; Foreign exchange earnings from visitor arrivals fluctuate with the seasons, spending patterns, and the number of days spent in Sri Lanka Spending and the length of stay in Sri Lanka varies significantly across source countries and throughout the months, and there are also wide differences in spending by solo travellers ... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/251228/news/package-visitors-spend-more-earnings-show-links-to-stays-and-spending-2-626183.html 28 December 2025 @ 12:08 am lt;strong gt; lt;em gt;By Kapila Bandara lt;/em gt; lt;/strong gt; Foreign exchange earnings from visitor arrivals fluctuate with the seasons, spending patterns, and the number of days spent in Sri Lanka Spending and the length of stay in Sri Lanka varies significantly across source countries and throughout the months, and there are also wide differences in spending by solo travellers and t... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/251228/news/month-after-ditwah-rs-25000-initial-relief-reaches-some-misses-others-626166.html 28 December 2025 @ 12:07 am lt;p style= quot;text-align: left; quot; align= quot;center quot; gt; lt;strong gt;By Sajeniya Sathanandan nbsp; nbsp; lt;/strong gt; lt;/p gt; One month after the Cyclone Ditwah catastrophe, the distribution of the Rs 25,000 initial financial assistance pledged to disaster-hit families for cleaning their houses is still ongoing. Some families say they have received the payment, while others ... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/251228/news/lankas-nightingale-is-no-more-but-her-music-and-legacy-will-continue-to-inspire-626163.html 28 December 2025 @ 12:05 am Veteran playback singer and cultural icon Deshamanya Latha Walpola, widely known as the ldquo;Helaye Geetha Kokilaviya rdquo; (Nightingale of Sri Lanka), passed away last night while receiving treatment at the Sri Jayawardenapura Hospital. She was 91. Born Matharage Rita Genevieve Fernando on November 11, 1934, in Mount Lavinia, she later became known by her stage name Latha Walpola. Encour... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/251228/news/maxi-rozairo-a-household-name-from-the-60s-to-80s-is-no-more-626159.html 28 December 2025 @ 12:03 am lt;img class= quot;alignright size-full wp-image-626168 quot; title= quot;maxi-rozairo_P2 quot; src= quot;http://sundaytimes.lk/251228/uploads/2025/12/maxi-rozairo_P21.jpg quot; alt= quot; quot; width= quot;200 quot; height= quot;265 quot; / gt;Veteran singer Maxi Rozairo, who was a household name in the late 1960s to 1990s in the Sri Lankan western music scene, died yesterday morning at his home... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/251228/news/judicial-independence-not-a-privilege-vested-in-individual-judges-cj-626157.html 28 December 2025 @ 12:02 am lt;strong gt;By Ranjith Padmasiri nbsp; nbsp; lt;/strong gt; Judicial independence is constitutionally recognised as an intangible heritage of the people, preserved through successive generations as a safeguard of dignity, equality, and freedom. It is not a privilege vested in individual judges, Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena stressed. He warned that failure to adjudicate impartially... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/251228/news/journalists-group-slams-govt-for-suppressing-media-freedom-626155.html 28 December 2025 @ 12:01 am The Sri Lanka Working Journalists rsquo; Association has expressed concern over media freedom and expression saying that the government is attempting to suppress journalists rsquo; through Police action. The association said actions such as unlawfully summoning journalist Tharindu Jayawardena to Gampola Police related to his journalist work, and the request made by Police to the Telecommunicati... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/251228/news/sri-lankans-determined-to-rebuild-their-lives-and-livelihoods-626080.html 27 December 2025 @ 10:20 pm lt;strong gt;By Minaza Hassan lt;/strong gt; During this festive season, while celebrations are ongoing, many communities across Sri Lanka are also attempting to rebuild their lives and livelihoods while still grappling with the aftermath of the recent floods and landslides. ldquo;Our community is in a red alert zone and had anticipated the usual level of impact after receiving warnings ... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/251228/news/small-businesses-suffer-a-heavy-blow-626074.html 27 December 2025 @ 10:19 pm lt;strong gt; lt;em gt;Pix and text by Rehka Fonseka nbsp; lt;/em gt; lt;/strong gt; Small-scale businesses that had prepared for months for the festive season when sales are higher have felt a bigger blow from the unprecedented natural disaster. Even owners of small home-based garment shops, operating with just a few sewing machines, are unable to find markets. Those producing food item... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/251228/news/gunasekera-wb-report-estimates-damage-at-us4-1bn-626071.html 27 December 2025 @ 10:18 pm Cyclone Ditwah, which swept through Sri Lanka in November triggering landslides and floods, caused the most damage to infrastructure, with a World Bank report estimating the damage at US$1.7 billion out of a total of US$4.1 billion. A Global Rapid Post-Disaster Damage Estimation (GRADE) report has provided a synopsis of the estimated direct physical damage in Sri Lanka due to the cyclone. Th... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/251228/news/post-disaster-firecracker-sales-fall-to-new-low-626035.html 27 December 2025 @ 9:40 pm lt;strong gt;By Kasun Warakapitiya nbsp; lt;/strong gt; Sales of fireworks hit an all-time low this year following the devastation of Cyclone Ditwah as well as the effects of sustained campaigns. Sellers believe sales were low mostly because of the disaster. [caption id= quot;attachment_626041 quot; align= quot;alignleft quot; width= quot;200 quot; caption= quot;M.N. Suresh quot;] lt;img... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/251228/news/sand-washed-up-on-northern-farmland-attracts-dark-hands-626032.html 27 December 2025 @ 9:30 pm lt;strong gt;By S. Rubatheesan nbsp; lt;/strong gt; Dozens of tippers and tractors have been seen at paddy fields trying to collect sand deposited from the late November flooding. Farmers in Kandawalai, Vattakachchi, Pannankandy, and Mahizaknkaadu of Kilinochchi say they have informed the authorities, including the Northern Governor rsquo;s Secretariat, about the plunder. Thiyagu Kopalar... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/251228/news/flood-hit-kandy-lawyer-goes-to-sc-over-negligence-of-duty-in-ditwah-relief-response-626030.html 27 December 2025 @ 9:29 pm A lawyer from Kandy whose office was severely damaged by floods brought on by Cyclone Ditwah has filed a fundamental rights petition in the Supreme Court requesting the court to rule that the National Council for Disaster Management (NCDM) headed by the President, the Cabinet of Ministers and other government officials acted in transgression of their duties and functions when responding to the dis... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/251228/news/suspect-wealth-to-be-investigated-626028.html 27 December 2025 @ 9:28 pm lt;div gt; lt;p style= quot;text-align: left; quot; align= quot;center quot; gt;A senior Cabinet Minister said police investigations are underway by the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) on individuals who amassed wealth through illegal means, including sand mining in the North. lt;/p gt; lt;/div gt; Speaking at a recent District Development Committee meeting in Kilinochchi, F... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/251228/news/rains-to-intensify-in-several-provinces-from-tomorrow-626025.html 27 December 2025 @ 9:23 pm The Meteorology Department has warned that with an active easterly wave expected to move across the country from tomorrow, rainy conditions are likely to intensify, particularly in the Northern, North-Central, Eastern, Uva, and Central provinces over the next few days. The department also said a few showers may occur, meanwhile, in the Northern, Eastern and Uva Provinces as well as in the Polon... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/251228/news/mayor-issues-dec-31-deadline-for-kandy-hawkers-626022.html 27 December 2025 @ 9:21 pm Kandy Mayor Chandrasiri Wijewickrama has decided to remove hawkers from pavements within the municipal area. The council has set a December 31 deadline for them to vacate and seek alternative employment. A group representing the hawkers said it had requested more time to comply with the order.... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/251228/news/ditwah-destruction-engulfs-2025-626020.html 27 December 2025 @ 9:20 pm As 2025 draws to a close the year will be defined mostly by one of the worst natural calamities to hit the country as cyclone Ditwah left more than 600 dead, thousands displaced and a trail of destruction caused by raging floods and treacherous landslides. In the political landscape the local government elections that saw the ruling party NPP winning most of the councils and the subsequent defeat... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/251228/news/insurers-approve-70-of-ditwah-claims-motor-sector-leads-625999.html 27 December 2025 @ 8:28 pm lt;strong gt;By Ishu Bandara lt;/strong gt; Sri Lanka's insurance companies have responded strongly to the damage caused by Cyclone Ditwah, approving 70% of all claims by December 22. Insurance Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka data show that total claims received by the industry have reached Rs. 42,568,846,596 (about Rs. 42 billion). Of the 70% of all claims approved by the industry, t... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/251228/news/it-feels-like-xmas-with-heel-oya-cypress-trees-625994.html 27 December 2025 @ 8:22 pm lt;em gt; lt;strong gt;By Malaka Rodrigo nbsp; nbsp; lt;/strong gt; lt;/em gt; Every December, amid Colombo rsquo;s glittering lights and plastic decorations, a quieter reminder of nature arrives from Sri Lanka rsquo;s misty hills. Cypress trees are transported to the capital, carrying with them a fragrance that many Sri Lankans associate with Christmas. ldquo;Most of us are from Heel Oya ... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/251228/news/love-shines-bright-as-christmas-lights-this-season-625974.html 27 December 2025 @ 8:13 pm lt;strong gt;By Dilushi Wijesinghe lt;/strong gt; Sri Lanka found room for hope, gratitude, and togetherness as families gathered to celebrate Christmas, even as thousands continued to grapple with the aftermath of widespread destruction caused by Cyclone Ditwah. Colombo rsquo;s roads, which typically transformed in December into corridors of extravagant colour, carried a more modest glow...