Author: Buzzer Editorial

Thailand’s former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whose 21st-century political odyssey sharply divided Thai society for decades, was released from a Bangkok prison on Monday after serving eight months of a one-year sentence for a corruption-related charge.A crowd of about 300 supporters and political allies gathered outside the Klong Prem Central Prison to greet the 76-year-old billionaire populist.Thaksin was a telecommunications magnate who founded his own political party in 1998 and served as prime minister from 2001 until a military coup ousted him in 2006 while he was abroad. His ouster triggered nearly two decades of deep and sometimes violent political polarisation,…

All sand mining permits in the Mannar District have been temporarily suspended following concerns that have arisen regarding the issuance of permits in the district.The decision was taken following a special discussion held yesterday (10) at the Mannar District Secretariat between officials and sand business owners on the prevention of illegal sand rackets, the issuance of sand mining permits and the regulation of sand prices.Commenting on the matter, Chairman of the District Development Committee and Deputy Minister of Co-operative Development, Upali Samarasinghe, said that future sand mining permits would be issued under a new legal framework.He further stated that sand…

The services of two doctors have been suspended over the death of an infant at the Trincomalee District General Hospital.The Ministry of Health stated that the infant died on April 9 during a strike action carried out by the Government Medical Officers’ Association.Following a preliminary investigation into the incident, the ministry took steps to suspend the services of the hospital’s obstetrics and gynaecology specialist and a senior resident medical officer.Minister of Health and Mass Media, Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, stated that further investigations are ongoing to determine whether the doctors involved committed any criminal offence.

Notorious underworld figure and drug trafficker Manoj Suranga, also known as “Batuwatte Chamara”, who was arrested in Azerbaijan recently, has been brought back to Sri Lanka this evening (10), police said.A team of Sri Lankan police officers had left for Azerbaijan on May 07 in order to facilitate the repatriation of the wanted suspect. They had reportedly arrived in the country this evening onboard a flight arriving from Dubai.

President Donald Trump on Sunday rejected Iran’s response to a U.S. proposal for peace talks, dashing hopes for an imminent end to the 10-week-old conflict that has caused widespread damage in Iran and Lebanon, paralyzed maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and driven up global energy prices.Days after the U.S. floated an offer in the hopes of re-opening negotiations, Iran on Sunday released a response focused on ending the war on all fronts, especially Lebanon, and on the safety of shipping through the blockaded Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state TV said. Within hours of the Iranian proposal’s release, Trump dismissed…

The Department of Railways says the “Yal Devi” train will resume operations between Colombo Fort and Kankesanthurai (KKS) railway stations from today (11).Accordingly, the train is scheduled to operate from Colombo Fort to Kankesanthurai every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.The return service from Kankesanthurai to Colombo Fort will operate every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.The Department further stated that the “Yal Devi” train, comprising four air-conditioned first-class compartments, offers seat reservation facilities.

The National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) has issued a landslide early warning for several Divisional Secretariat Divisions (DSDs) in five districts in view of the prevailing adverse weather conditions in parts of the country.Accordingly, the landslide warning issued by the NBRO will be in effect until 9.00 pm today (11).District and Divisional Secretariat Divisions that have been issued Level 1 (Yellow) landslide warnings, advising people to remain watchful, are as follows:Badulla District: Passara DSD and surrounding areasKurunegala District: Ridigama DSD and surrounding areasMatale District: Naula DSD and surrounding areasMonaragala District: Ambanganga Korale, Rattota, Badalkumbura, and Wellawaya DSDs and surrounding areasRatnapura District: Godakawela DSD and surrounding…

The electricity tariff revision for the second and third quarters of this year is scheduled to be implemented from today (11).The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) recently approved the implementation of the electricity tariff revision for the second quarter of 2026, with effect from April 1.Accordingly, steps were taken to increase electricity tariffs by between 8% and 14.4%.In this context, a revised cost estimate for the second quarter of this year was submitted once again to the PUCSL by the National System Operator (Pvt) Ltd on April 27.It was stated that the request for the tariff increase was…

Former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SriLankan Airlines, Kapila Chandrasena, was found dead at a residence in Colpetty, according to Police.Meanwhile, the Colombo Magistrate’s Court yesterday issued an order for the arrest and production before court of Chandrasena, who had been released on bail two days earlier.The arrest warrant was issued by Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodharagama after considering a request made by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), on the grounds that the defendant had allegedly violated bail conditions.Issuing the order, the Chief Magistrate directed officers of the Bribery Commission to immediately execute the warrant.Chandrasena,…

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has instructed officials to swiftly introduce all necessary reforms, including amendments to existing laws, in order to eliminate the drug menace from the country.The President issued these instructions while attending the meeting of the “Ratama Ekata” National Steering Council convened this morning (07) at the Presidential Secretariat to discuss efforts aimed at eradicating the drug menace, the PMD reported.He also directed the relevant authorities to take all necessary steps to expedite the process of destroying seized narcotics as quickly as possible under proper legal procedures, thereby preventing them from re-entering society and to accelerate the process…