Author: Buzzer Editorial

The Convenor of the Inter University Students’ Federation (IUSF), Madushan Chandrajith and several others were taken into police custody during a protest near the Colombo Fort Railway Station, said Ada Derana reporter.The protest was organized against the proposed National Education Policy Framework and the establishment of private medical colleges.An official from the Election Commission arrived at the location of the protest and informed the protesters that protests or marches are not allowed during the election period.However, as the protesters were getting preparing to begin their protest march, disregarding the advice of the official to disperse, the Convenor of the IUSF…

The Cabinet of Ministers has granted approval to increase the Mahapola Scholarship allowance for university students to Rs. 7,500 and the bursary to Rs. 6,500, effective from April 2025, Cabinet Spokesman Minister Bandula Gunawardena said.The decision follows a joint proposal presented by Minister of Education Susil Premajayantha and Minister of Trade, Commerce and Food Safety Nalin Fernando, highlighting that the Mahapola and bursary allowances have not been revised since 2015.Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has granted approval to increase the Mahapola Scholarship allowance for university students to Rs. 7,500 and the bursary to Rs. 6,500, effective from April 2025.

The report of the Parliament Select Committee appointed to look into the issue of child malnutrition in Sri Lanka was presented to the Parliament recently (Sep 04), identifying an increase in underweight and stunting among infants and children up to two years of age in 2023 compared to 2022.According to a Parliament statement, the Parliament Select Committee was appointed to study whether the issue of child malnutrition in Sri Lanka is aggravating and to identify short-term, medium-term, and long-term measures to be taken in that regard, as well as to oversee the speedy implementation of the identified measures.The Parliament Select…

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has removed five state ministers, including Geetha Kumarasinghe, with immediate effect. The others include Shasheendra Rajapaksa, Amith Thenuka Vidanagamage, Prasanna Ranaweera & D.V. Chanaka. The removals were made under Article 47 (3) (a) of the Constitution, said the President’s Media Division.Last week, Four state ministers were dismissed from their position.The ministers affected are State Minister for Ports and Aviation Premalal Jayasekara, State Minister for Power and Energy Indika Anuruddha, State Minister for Agriculture Mohan Priyadarshana de Silva, and State Minister for Highways Siripala Gamlath.This decision was also made under the authority granted to the President by Article…

The Sri Lankan authorities have not received any information on the whereabouts of Officer Cadet Mohammed Aneek from the Sri Lanka Army, who recently graduated from the esteemed Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the United Kingdom after completing his training, official said.An investigation has been launched by the Sri Lanka Army following Officer Cadet Aneek’s disappearance in mid-August.Aneek, who underwent an intensive 44-week training programme, was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant during the Sovereign’s Parade on August 9, a key ceremonial event marking the end of training for officer cadets.Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to the UK, Rohitha Bogollagama also attended…

The Cabinet of Ministers has granted approval for the procurement of a policy-based loan of US$ 400 million from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) through two sub-programmes for the implementation of Sri Lanka’s financial sector stability and reform programme.The first sub-programme has received US$ 200 million of the total loan amount by December 2023.For the second sub-programme, 12 pre-policy activities must be completed to secure the remaining US$ 200 million while most of these activities are either completed or nearing completion.Accordingly, the Cabinet has granted approval to the proposal put forward by President Ranil Wickremesinghe, in his capacity as Minister…

As Sri Lanka approaches presidential and parliamentary elections later this year, the newly elected administration must commit to the concrete transformational changes needed to ensure accountability, justice and reconciliation, says the UN Human Rights chief.The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Volker Türk, delivered remarks at the Interactive Dialogue on the OHCHR report on Sri Lanka during the UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva on Monday (9), urging Sri Lanka to break from its past and chart a new path forward.Highlighting concerning trends over the past two years, Türk emphasized the need for the continued attention and…

The Election Commission has ordered the immediate removal of all stickers promoting presidential candidates from vehicles, stating that it is an offense under Section 74 of the Presidential Elections Act No. 15 of 1981.The commission noted that complaints have been received regarding the display of signs, stickers with photos, flags, and other promotional materials for presidential candidates and parties on private vehicles, including private buses and three-wheelers.The Election Commission has instructed the police to conduct emergency inspections across all police jurisdictions to remove these stickers.Meanwhile, the Election Commission has reported that a total of 3,041 complaints have been received so…

The Public Service Commission (PSC) has announced that if public officials fail to report to work for more than five consecutive days without notice, they must be issued notices of leaving the service within the first five days following their absence.This decision has been made after it was observed that, in some cases, it takes over a year to issue notices of leaving the service when government officials do not report to work without prior notification.The PSC has communicated this directive through a circular to all ministry secretaries and heads of departments.The commission also noted that if a resignation notice…

Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles alleged that a ‘mafia’ has been operating behind the recent long queues for passports at the Department of Immigration and Emigration. He stated this in response to an accusation levelled by NPP parliamentarian Vijitha Herath.Long queues were observed in front of the Immigration Department’s offices in recent days due to a shortage of new blank passports.During a press conference held today by the National People’s Power (NPP), the party had accused the government over the crisis pertaining to issuance of passports.However, responding to the allegations during a press briefing at the Ministry of Public Security…