Author: Buzzer Editorial

Pakistan spinner Noman Ali registered his name in history books as he became the first spin bowler from the nation to secure a hat-trick for the national team in men’s Test history.Noman did so on Day 1 of the second Test against West Indies in Multan, bagging the wickets of Justin Greaves, Tevin Imlach and Kevin Sinclair on three consecutive deliveries. Pakistan, who first played a Test match in 1952, had never seen any spinner from the country, despite possessing some big names, take wickets on three successive deliveries before. Noman put West Indies on the backfoot as the tourists lost 7…

Giranegama Police have arrested a suspect for possession of items believed to be excavated artifacts.Acting on a tip-off, officers from the Giranegama Police Station conducted a raid last afternoon (24) in the Ulpathayaya area of the Giranegama Police Division.The suspect was found in possession of:A gold-plated Lord Buddha statueA gold-plated flower with 24 petals, resembling a lotus flowerA gold-plated ‘Bo Tree’ leafThe arrested suspect is identified as a 48-year-old resident of Halmillewa, Andiyagala.Giranegama Police are conducting further investigations into the incident.

Sri Lanka Railways announced plans to introduce new train services to enhance tourism in the country, starting from February 01.Accordingly, the ‘Ella Odyssey’ train will begin an additional weekend service from Kandy to Demodara starting on February 01. Following this, another service will be launched from Nanu Oya to Badulla beginning February 10. An additional train between Fort to Badulla will operate on Mondays from February 10.Additionally, the Fort to Kankesanthurai night mail train will now operate daily, starting from January 31.

In an effort to provide more efficient services to the public, the President’s Fund is set to launch a new initiative to deliver services at the regional level through the offices of the Divisional Secretaries, under the leadership of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on February 7 at the Temple Trees, Colombo.Previously, the official work of the President’s Fund was limited to the Colombo area. However, under the new plan, these services will be extended nationwide through 341 sub-offices established at Divisional Secretary offices across the country.The relevant pilot projects for five selected Divisional Secretary offices are already operational, and the…

Sri Lanka’s Cabinet Spokesman, Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa has clarified that the Cabinet of Ministers has not made a decision to cancel the agreement with India’s Adani Group regarding wind energy projects in the country.Speaking at a special press conference today (25), the Minister stated that the Cabinet has only decided to review the electricity tariffs proposed for the project. However, this does not imply that the project has been cancelled, he said.Additionally, Minister Jayatissa noted that several court cases related to the project are currently pending, and the government is closely monitoring the legal proceedings and their outcomes.

Political sources indicate that Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) organizers are firmly advocating for contesting the upcoming elections under the ‘hand’ symbol.The party remains divided into multiple factions due to an ongoing internal crisis. While one group insists on contesting under the ‘chair’ symbol, another faction strongly supports using the ‘hand’ symbol.Many SLFP organizers argue that the party should be formally legalized and contest under the ‘hand’ symbol, emphasizing that this is essential for the party’s future political strength. Although this stance was raised several years ago, conflicting opinions among the party leadership and appointed secretaries prevented its implementation.Accordingly, organizers have reiterated…

The Colombo Magistrate’s Court has granted bail to a suspect arrested in connection with the case involving former Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa.The suspect, a former Sales Manager of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), was granted bail following his court appearance.On January 22, former Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa and several other suspects were arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officers, on the charges of obtaining a sum of over Rs. 6.1 million from the CPC under the guise of providing relief to the people displaced by floods in Bingiriya and Narammala areas in 2014, and instead using the funds for…

The Special Operations Unit of the Police Special Task Force (STF) has arrested an individual who was in possession of various narcotics, along with other properties, in the Wimalasiri De Mel area of the Mt Lavinia police division, in connection with the crime and drug prevention operation.The suspect was arrested last night (24) during a raid conducted by officers from the Special Operations Unit of the Police Special Task Force (STF).Accordingly, the arrest was made based on a tip-off received by the STF officers of the Special Operations Unit, and during the raid, a large amount of property, including drugs,…

Yoshitha Rajapaksa, the second son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, has been arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) today (25), according to the Police Media Spokesman.He has been arrested by CID officers in the Beliatta area this morning (25).

The Palestinian militant movement Hamas is expected to release four female Israeli soldiers on Saturday in exchange for a group of Palestinian prisoners under a ceasefire agreement aimed at ending the 15-month-old war in Gaza.The four soldiers – Karina Ariev, Daniela Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag – were all stationed at an observation post on the edge of Gaza and abducted by Hamas fighters who overran their base during the attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.The Hamas prisoners media office said it expected 200 prisoners to be freed on Saturday as part of the exchange, including 120 serving…