Director General of the Department of Meteorology Athula Karunanayake, who allegedly predicted the impending Cyclone Ditwah, on 12 November, 2025, but didn’t take appropriate measures to alert the people before the Cyclone made landfall on 27 November, last year, recently appeared before the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) inquiry into the failure on the part of the relevant authorities to act.

Karunanayake issued the warning when he appeared on Derana ‘Big Focus.’

The PSC has been tasked to conduct a comprehensive study and submit its proposals and recommendations. The Committee met recently in Parliament, under the Chairmanship of the Minister (Dr.) Nalinda Jayatissa. The meeting was attended by a group of senior officials, including the Director General of the Department of Meteorology, Athula Karunanayake, and the Director General of the Disaster Management Centre, Major General (Retd) Sampath Kotuwegoda.

During the meeting, the Committee inquired into how the Department of Meteorology and the Disaster Management Centre had operated as primary responding institutions during natural disasters.

Colombo International Container Terminals (CICT) has recorded its highest-ever single-vessel performance, handling 10,407 container moves, equivalent to 15,113 TEUs, during the recent call of MSC INGY, marking a new operational milestone for the terminal, the CICT said yesterday.

The vessel, operated by Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), represents one of the larger container ships calling at Colombo, reflecting the terminal’s growing capability to efficiently handle ultra-large container vessels (ULCVs) and rising cargo volumes.

During the call, the terminal achieved a gross vessel rate exceeding 200 moves per hour and a gross crane rate of over 30 moves per crane per hour, emphasising the speed, coordination, and operational discipline behind the record performance.

CICT officials said the achievement highlights the terminal’s continued focus on operational efficiency, vessel turnaround performance, and capacity optimisation within the port ecosystem.

“Achieving this milestone reflects our strong operational coordination and ability to handle ULCVs at peak efficiency. CICT will continue to provide reliable, high-performance terminal services to our global shipping partners.” said Jan Zhang, CEO of CICT.

The terminal, operated by China Merchants Port Holdings, has consistently enhanced its handling capabilities through investments in equipment, yard optimisation, and process improvements. In recent years, CICT has played a key role in accommodating some of the largest vessels calling at the Port of Colombo, supporting its position as a leading transhipment hub in South Asia.

The latest record builds on a series of performance benchmarks achieved by the terminal, reflecting strong coordination between operational teams, shipping lines, and port stakeholders.

CICT extended its appreciation to MSC and all partners involved in achieving the milestone, noting that continued collaboration remains central to sustaining high performance standards and supporting the growth of containerised trade through Colombo.

Prima Ceylon (Pvt) Limited yesterday (29) increased the price of one kilogramme of wheat flour by Rs 5.

The company claimed that the price revision had been necessitated by the increase in transportation costs.

With the latest increase, the price of a kilogram of wheat flour will be Rs. 225.