Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said the Government will provide every possible form of assistance to help communities affected by the disaster rebuild their lives, even though the lives lost can never be replaced.

Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said the government is committed to building an education system that does not burden parents or cause stress for children, while preparing students to compete globally and helping rural children escape long standing poverty.

Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that 2026 will mark the highest number of houses ever built with state support in the country’s history, with around 50,000 to 55,000 homes set to be constructed nationwide.

Five suspects, including former minister Johnston Fernando and his two sons, have been ordered to be further remanded until January 23, 2026.

Former Minister Douglas Devananda, who had been arrested and remanded in custody, has been released on bail.

The United States will provide 10 U.S. Navy TH-57 (Bell 206 Sea Ranger) helicopters to the Sri Lanka Air Force at no cost for the equipment itself, with the aircraft expected to arrive in early 2026.

A deep depression in the Bay of Bengal, located about 170 kilometers east of Batticaloa at 6:00 a.m. today (January 9), is moving northwest and is likely to cross the Sri Lankan coast between Pottuvil and Trincomalee this evening.

A depression that formed in the Bay of Bengal southeast of Sri Lanka is gradually intensifying into a deep depression and is likely to cross Sri Lanka tomorrow (January 09) between 5:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m., the Department of Meteorology announced.

A ten acre privately owned land in Siyambalapitiya was donated by Venerable Mavikande Ratanapala Thera to support the Government programme to build new houses for people whose homes were damaged by cyclone Ditwah, with the deeds officially handed over at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday (January 07).

A Technical Officer attached to the Welisara Sub Office of the Wattala Pradeshiya Sabha was arrested yesterday (January 07), over allegations of soliciting and accepting a Rs 50,000 bribe in exchange for approving a building plan, following a complaint made by a resident of the Ragama area.

Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated that the programme to provide compensation for fully damaged houses and to construct new homes for families affected by the disaster will commence on January 9, 2026, in Anuradhapura and Kurunegala.

The National Digital Motor Insurance Card was officially introduced yesterday (January 07) at the Ministry of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs, marking a major step toward modernizing Sri Lanka’s insurance sector and enabling motorists to access insurance details digitally through their smartphones.

The Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army, General Upendra Dwivedi, arrived in Sri Lanka, yesterday (January 7) for a two-day official visit and paid a courtesy call on Sri Lanka’s Deputy Minister of Defence, Major General Aruna Jayasekara (Retd), at his office in Colombo.

The indicative USD/LKR spot exchange rate quoted by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) has crossed the Rs. 310 mark for the first time since February 29, 2024.

A seaplane that was preparing to land at Gregory Lake in Nuwara Eliya crashed into the lake at around 12:30 PM today (January 7).

A group of companies led by John Keells Holdings has donated 400 million rupees to support people affected by the disaster caused by Cyclone Ditwah, with the funds given to the government’s “Rebuilding Sri Lanka” fund for relief and recovery work.