Author: Buzzer Editorial

The Court of Appeal today directed the Minister of Wildlife and several other respondents to submit a report detailing the measures taken by the government to prevent human–elephant conflict.The order was issued by a bench comprising Justices Damith Thotawatte and Sarath Dissanayake after considering a writ petition submitted by the Centre for Environmental Justice regarding the matter through a motion, said Ada Derana reporter.The motion noted that although the Centre for Environmental Justice had submitted a series of proposals to the respondents on steps to be taken to minimise human–elephant conflict, no action had been taken in response.Accordingly, the motion…

Steps have been taken by the Ministry of Health to appoint a committee to draft the service constitution for specialist doctors.The committee has been appointed on the instructions of the Minister of Health and Media, Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa.According to the Ministry of Health and Media, following the discussion held yesterday (18) in Parliament under the patronage of the President regarding matters related to specialist doctors, the Secretary to the Ministry of Health and Media, Specialist Dr. Anil Jasinghe, has taken steps to appoint this committee.Accordingly, the Director General of Health Services, Dr. Asela Gunawardena, has been appointed as the chairman…

A three-member committee has been appointed to investigate a complaint made by Deputy Minister Sunil Watagala regarding the conduct of Parliamentarian Dayasiri Jayasekara.Speaker of House Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne informed Parliament today (19) that the committee was appointed to inquire into an incident that took place inside the Chamber on September 24, 2025.Deputy Speaker Dr. Rizvie Salih has been appointed as the chairman of the committee, while MPs Upali Pannilage and Ranjith Madduma Bandara have been appointed as its members.“I wish to inform that, considering a complaint presented by MP Sunil Watagala at the Committee on Parliamentary Business meeting held on…

The Court of Appeal today (19) scheduled a hearing on December 16 to consider a petition seeking an injunction to prevent the implementation of an order issued by the Department of Coastal Conservation to remove a part of the Trincomalee Sri Sambuddha Jayanthi Bodhiraja Viharaya.The petition was filed by the chief monk of the temple, Venerable Trincomalee Kalyanawansa Wansa Tissa Thero.During the proceedings, the judge noted that it would be appropriate to resolve the matter amicably. Accordingly, both parties—including officials from the Department of Coastal Conservation and their legal representatives—agreed in court that the department would inspect the site and provide…

Minister of Transport Bimal Ratnayake stated today (19) in Parliament that the location where a Colombo-bound train derailed along the upcountry line had previously been identified as a hazardous area.The Minister further noted that train operations on the upcountry line are expected to be completed by tomorrow night (20).The night mail train that ran from Badulla to Colombo last night derailed between Idalgashinna and Ohiya railway stations due to a landslide that brought down a pile of rocks onto the tracks.The Railway Department stated that, as a result, trains operating from Colombo on the upcountry line have been restricted to…

Three international flights scheduled to land at the Bandaranaike International Airport this morning have been diverted due to dense fog that significantly reduced visibility.The affected flights included two SriLankan Airlines flights—UL-881 from Guangzhou, China and UL-266 from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia —which were redirected to the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport.Additionally, SriLankan Airlines flight UL-254 from Dammam, Saudi Arabia has been diverted to the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in Kerala, India.The fog, which disrupted operations early in the morning has eased, enabling flights to land at the Katunayake Airport without incident, according to airport officials.Airport authorities confirmed that necessary measures were taken to…

Mobile phone users are required to pay a 20.3% tax on internet services and a 38% tax on regular voice calls, the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) has stated.This clarification was provided during a meeting of the Committee on Public Finance (COPF).Committee Chairman Dr. Harsha de Silva raised questions regarding the effective tax on consumers using prepaid mobile services.Addressing the inquiry, TRC Director Indrajith Handapangoda explained the structure of telecommunications levies.According to Handapangoda, internet usage is not subjected to the Telecommunication Levy, but consumers pay an effective tax of approximately 20.3% for data services. Meanwhile, voice services, including broadband-related voice facilities,…

The chikungunya disease is spreading rapidly in the Matara district, the Health Entomology Officers’ Association has warned.President of the association Nijith Sumanasena noted that the outbreak has occurred alongside the high-risk dengue situation.The President of the Health Entomology Officers’ Association, Nijith Sumanasena said Sri Lanka is experiencing a period of continuous rainfall at present which is also the high-risk season for dengue.He said “within this situation, a disease more severe than dengue is being reported from the Matara area. Specifically, chikungunya is spreading rapidly in the Matara district. Although this disease was previously reported in areas such as Narahenpita and…

A discussion aimed at formulating a systematic programme to address the challenges of local potato farmers was held this morning (18) at the Presidential Secretariat.The discussion was held under the patronage of the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation, K. D. Lal Kantha and the Minister of Trade, Commerce and Food Security, Wasantha Samarasinghe, with the participation of potato farmers, the President’s Media Division said in a statement.Minister Lal Kantha stated that the Food Security Committee has decided to pay greater attention to farmers when seeking solutions to the issues they face, while also ensuring that such measures do…

Train operations along the upcountry railway line are restricted to the Nanu Oya station due to a derailment, Sri Lanka Railways Department stated.Rail operations have been impacted following an earth slip between Idalgashinna and Ohiya stations.The Railway Department said a night mail train plying from Badulla to Colombo also detailed due to the earth slip.The Railway Department noted that despite heavy rains in the area, it expects train services to be restored by the end of today.