WEATHER FORECAST FOR 05 JANUARY 2026
Issued at 05.30 a.m. on 05 January 2026 by the Department of Meteorology 

The low-level atmospheric disturbance is currently established to the southeast of the island.

Showers will occur at times in the  Eastern and Uva provinces and in Nuwara-Eliya, Matale, Polonnaruwa, and Mullaittivu districts. Fairly heavy showers above 50 mm are likely at some places in the Eastern province and in Nuwara-Eliya, Matale, Badulla, Polonnaruwa, and Mullaittivu districts.

Several spells of showers will occur in the Anuradhapura, Jaffna, Kilinochchi and Vavuniya districts. Showers or thundershowers may occur at a few places in the Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in Galle and Matara districts after 2.00 p.m.

Strong winds up to 50 kmph can be expected at times over the  Eastern slopes of the central hills, the Northern, North-central, North-western and Eastern provinces and in Hambantota, Gampaha, Colombo and Monaragala districts.

The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.

After two heartbreaks, it was third time lucky for Desert Vipers as they broke the final hoodoo, defeating MI Emirates by 46 runs to claim their maiden ILT20 title in Dubai.

The win was headlined by captain Sam Curran, who held the Vipers innings together with an unbeaten 74 off 51 balls. He was helped by Max Holden (41 off 32) and Dan Lawrence (23 off 15) as Vipers notched up an impressive 182 for 4 in their 20 overs.

MIE never got their chase going, losing wickets at regular intervals. Naseem Shah was at his fiery best, picking up 3 for 18 in his four overs, while Usman Tariq curbed the runs in the middle overs, returning 2 for 20. David Payne also picked up 3 for 42, all three of his wickets coming in an over, as MIE were bowled out for 136 in 18.3 overs. It was fitting that the most consistent team of the season took home the title.

Vipers’ win means that ILT20 has now had a different winner in each of the first four seasons – Gulf Giants, MIE, Dubai Capitals and now Vipers.

Fakhar Zaman didn’t take time to go after Shakib Al Hasan, depositing him over wide long-on second ball of the innings. MIE were sloppy with their fielding, and both Fakhar and Jason Roy cashed in. After Fakhar collected a boundary off first ball off AM Ghazanfar, Roy hit left-arm quick Muhammad Rohid for back-to-back fours as Vipers raced to 34 for 0 after three overs. But Fazalhaq Farooqi helped MIE hit back with a double-wicket opening over.

Roy first flat-batted a short-of-a-length delivery straight to short midwicket before Farooqi cleaned up Fakhar with a peach of an inducker that pitched just outside off and swung back in breaching the opener’s defenses. Curran took five balls to get off the mark but closed out the powerplay in style with three straight fours off Farooqi as Vipers reached 59 for 2 in six overs.

While Holden took his time to settle, Curran kept the scorecard ticking. He pulled offspinner Tajinder Singh twice through midwicket before guiding Kieron Pollard past short third. Holden, going just about a run-a-ball, found his groove as well as he took Tajinder inside out over covers and then planted him over long-on as Vipers raced past 100 in the 12th over.

Mystery spinner Arab Gul broke the 89-run third-wicket stand by accounting for Holden but Lawrence ensured the momentum wasn’t lost. He smoked Gul over covers second ball before Curran reached his fifty off 39 balls as Vipers eyed a late push. That came via a 21-run 18th over with Curran and Lawrence sending Romario Shepherd over the fence three times. Vipers collected 46 runs off the last four overs to breach the 180-mark.

The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) and the Treasury are facing heightened scrutiny as the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) presses for an 11.5 percent electricity tariff increase, a move closely tied to IMF-driven state-owned enterprise (SOE) reforms aimed at curbing losses and easing fiscal pressure on the State.

The proposed hike comes as the Treasury intensifies efforts to reduce the budgetary burden of loss-making SOEs under Sri Lanka’s IMF programme, which places strong emphasis on cost-reflective pricing, improved governance and the elimination of quasi-fiscal deficits.

Power sector sources said the PUCSL has completed its technical evaluation of the CEB proposal and is expected to announce its determination shortly.

The decision is being closely watched not only as a test of regulatory independence, but also as an indicator of how Treasury-backed fiscal discipline is being enforced through independent regulators.Under the IMF agreement, Sri Lanka has committed to restructuring key SOEs, such as, the CEB to prevent recurring losses from spilling over into public finances.

Treasury officials have repeatedly warned that continued operational losses at the utility could ultimately require state intervention, undermining fiscal consolidation targets agreed with the IMF.

The CEB has justified the proposed 11.5 percent hike by citing high generation costs, foreign currency loan repayments and accumulated legacy losses, arguing that further tariff adjustments are necessary to stabilise finances and avoid a return to Treasury support.

However, critics argue that IMF-aligned reforms should not translate into routine tariff hikes without meaningful improvements in efficiency, cost controls and governance within the utility.

Trade unions and consumer groups have urged the PUCSL to resist pressure from both the CEB and fiscal authorities to simply pass costs on to consumers.

They also note that improved hydropower availability should reduce dependence on expensive thermal generation, easing cost pressures and giving the regulator room to moderate any tariff increase.

Energy analysts say the PUCSL’s ruling will reflect how effectively the Treasury’s fiscal objectives are being balanced against the regulator’s statutory duty to protect consumers, warning that over-reliance on tariff increases could erode public support for IMF-backed reforms.

Business chambers have cautioned that another electricity price hike could weaken industrial competitiveness and slow economic recovery, particularly in export-oriented and energy-intensive sectors already grappling with elevated costs.

Electricity tariffs remain one of the most politically sensitive aspects of IMF-linked restructuring, with previous hikes triggering widespread public discontent and raising concerns over social impact.

The PUCSL is expected to outline the basis of its decision, including whether the proposed 11.5 percent increase will be approved in full, scaled down, or restructured through slab-based mechanisms to cushion low-income households.

An energy expert stressed that Sri Lanka navigates IMF-mandated fiscal and SOE reforms, the forthcoming ruling is widely seen as a defining moment—testing not only the independence of the regulator, but also the Treasury’s ability to pursue reform without deepening the burden on consumers.

By Ifham Nizam ✍️