Author: Buzzer Editorial

The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka today (24) ordered a shipping company to pay US$1 billion in compensation for the environmental and economic damage caused due to the fire onboard the X-Press Pearl vessel, Ada Derana reporter said.The X-Press Pearl container vessel caught fire and sank off the coast of Colombo in 2021.The incident is considered one of the worst environmental disasters in the country’s history.According to the Supreme Court’s judgment, the compensation is to be paid to the Secretary to the Treasury.The Supreme Court ruling states that the respondent should within one year from the date of the judgment,…

A health administrative officer escaped unharmed after an assailant’s gun failed to fire adjacent to the S. de S. Jayasinghe grounds in Dehiwala this morning, police stated.Police stated two persons arrived on a motorcycle and attempted open fire at the officer but the weapon reportedly failed.Subsequently, the duo fled the scene.The Dehiwala Police is conducting further investigations into the incident.

The Supreme Court has deferred the sentencing to September 23 in the contempt of court case filed against Harsha Illukpitiya, the Controller General of Immigration and Emigration, who has pleaded guilty.

Silver prices surged to their highest in almost 14 years on Wednesday, aided by worries about U.S. tariff policy, signs of tightness in the spot market and growing investor interest in alternatives to gold.Spot silver was up 0.3% at $39.40 per troy ounce as of 1354 GMT, its highest level since September 2011.Silver, both a precious and industrial metal, is up 36% this year, outperforming gold’s 31% growth and coming within a whisker of the key $40-per-ounce mark. The metal hit a record high of $49 in 2011.U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to impose 50% import tariffs on copper from…

The Sri Lankan passport has made a major leap and climbed five places from 96th to 91st, in the Henley Passport Index. The Sri Lankan passport jumped four spots last year as well.The Henley Passport Index 2025 ranks countries on the basis of the number of destinations their holders can enter without having a prior visa.Currently, Sri Lanka has visa-free access to 42 destinations in the world.Singapore passport holders are given visa-free entry to 193 destinations.Passport holders of Japan and South Korea remain a close second, with visa-free travel for 190 countries.Seven European passports share the 3rd place – Denmark,…

At least 20 injured elephants are currently receiving treatment across the country, according to the Department of Wildlife Conservation.According to the Department, most of the elephants receiving treatment have sustained leg injuries due to gunshot wounds and being caught in snares.Accordingly, it is reported that eight elephants in the Anuradhapura wildlife zone, four in the Polonnaruwa wildlife zone, three in the Northwestern wildlife zone, and five in the Uva wildlife zone are currently receiving treatment.Meanwhile, the Director General of the Department of Wildlife Conservation, Ranjan Marasinghe stated that a request has been made to the Inspector General of Police to…

The Colombo High Court has ordered that the petition filed by former Minister Rajitha Senaratne, seeking a revision of the Colombo Magistrate’s Court order refusing him bail, be taken up for consideration on July 30.The petition was taken up today (23) before Colombo High Court Judge Indrika Kalingawansa.During the hearing, the High Court Judge observed that she was unable to issue an order on the petition as a copy of the relevant Magistrate’s Court’s decision rejecting bail had not been submitted to the High Court.Accordingly, the Judge instructed President’s Counsel Maithri Gunaratne, who appeared on behalf of Rajitha Senaratne, to…

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has appointed a Special Presidential Investigation Committee to probe alleged incidents of fraud, corruption and irregularities at SriLankan Airlines Limited and Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) (Private) Limited, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said.The President met with the members of the Committee on Tuesday (July 22) at the Presidential Secretariat and engaged in a discussion with them.During the meeting, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake emphasized that the absence of a proper investigation into the irregularities at SriLankan Airlines Limited Company and Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) (Private) Limited has rendered these institutions largely ineffective. The President…

The Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe has clarified that neither the Central Bank of Sri Lanka nor the Government has taken any decision to curtail vehicle imports at present.

On July 17, 2022, then-Acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe imposed emergency regulations across Sri Lanka under the Public Security Ordinance in response to the ongoing protests.Today, the Supreme Court ruled that these regulations violated fundamental human rights.A majority decision by a three-judge bench declared that the emergency regulations issued under Section 2 of the Public Security Ordinance were arbitrary and lacked legal authority.The ruling was delivered with the concurrence of Chief Justice Murdhu Fernando and Justice Yasantha Kodagoda.However, Justice Arjuna Obeysekera, delivering his opinion, stated that the emergency regulations did not infringe upon fundamental rights.The petitions were filed by the Centre…