Author: Buzzer Editorial

Australia will ban children under 16 from using social media, after its parliament approved the world’s strictest laws.The ban, which will not take effect for at least 12 months, could see tech companies fined up to A$50m ($32.5m; £25.7m) if they don’t comply.Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the legislation is needed to protect young people from the “harms” of social media, something many parent groups have echoed.But critics say questions over how the ban will work – and its impact on privacy and social connection – have been left unanswered.This is not the first attempt globally to restrict children’s social…

The Disaster Management Center (DMC) reports that a total of 441,590 individuals from 132,110 families across 24 districts have been impacted by the prevailing adverse weather conditions.So far, 13 fatalities have been confirmed according to the update issued at 06.00 a.m. today (28), with one person missing and 20 others injured. Additionally, 102 houses have been completely destroyed, while 2,096 homes have sustained partial damage.The DMC notes that 115,319 people from 45,329 families are currently seeking refuge with relatives, while 38,616 individuals from 12,348 families have been relocated to 347 designated safe locations.Ampara District remains the hardest hit, with 149,491 individuals…

The Meteorology Department says the deep depression over the southwest Bay of Bengal was located about 240 km northeast of Trincomalee and 290km east of Kankasanthurai around 11.30 p.m. of 28th November 2024.It is likely to move northwestwards, towards Tamil Nadu coast. It can be expected that the influence of this system on the island’s weather will gradually reduce after today (29). Showers or thundershowers will occur at times in Northern and North-central provinces and in Trincomalee district, it said. Heavy showers above 100 mm are likely at some places in Northern province. Showers will occur at times in Western, Sabaragamuwa and…

Ten sluice gates of the Rajanganaya Reservoir have been opened following heavy rainfall.Anuradhapura District has been severely affected by the adverse weather conditions, said the Ada Derana reporter.It is reported that approximately 11,800 cubic meters of water per second is being released into the Kala Oya from the opened sluice gates.Meanwhile, arrangements have also been made to close the sluice gates of the Angamuwa Reservoir. The Wimalasurendra Reservoir in the Nortonbridge area continues to discharge water from the sluice gates due to ongoing intermittent showers and heavy rains in the Central Highlands’ western slopes.Engineers in charge of the Castlereigh reservoir and…

The principal and a teacher from the Madrasa in Ninthavur, as well as two who had served as assistants to the tractor driver have been arrested in connection with the investigation into the incident where a tractor transporting a group of school children was swept away by floodwaters in Karaitivu, Ampara.Police said that the suspects are to be produced before the Sammanthurai Magistrate’s Court.It is reported that the principal in question had instructed the school boys to go back home on the tractor after school, as there were no buses available due to flooding on November 26. Bus services had…

Moody’s Ratings has announced that it has placed the Government of Sri Lanka’s Ca long-term foreign currency issuer rating under review for an upgrade. The previous outlook was stable.In addition, Moody’s assigned (P) Caa1 foreign currency senior unsecured ratings to Sri Lanka’s new USD-denominated debt issuances, part of the government’s exchange offer. These include the macro-linked bonds (MLBs), the governance-linked bond (GLB), and step-up and past-due interest (PDI) bonds.The move to place the issuer rating on review follows the government’s recent announcement of an exchange offer, which, if successful, would finalize the restructuring of international bonds and reduce default risk…

Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, expressed confidence that the country’s economy will achieve a stable and prosperous state by 2025.Speaking at a media briefing held at the Central Bank of Sri Lanka to discuss the ongoing program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the country’s economic strategies, Dr. Weerasinghe highlighted significant progress in financial reforms.The Governor noted that the third review of the ongoing IMF program has reached a staff-level agreement, and following the government’s presentation of the budget, the IMF is expected to formally approve the disbursement of funds to Sri Lanka…

The infamous tusker known as ‘Deegadanthu 1’, one of the elephants with the longest tusks in the country, often spotted roaming the Kala Wewa National Park, has been electrocuted to death after coming into contact with an electric fence set up in front of a house in Andiyagala, Hinguruwewa.The tusker was well known for its magnificent tusks and its status as the oldest elephant in the area, making it a popular attraction for both local and foreign tourists.

The assistant of the tractor driver involved in the tragic tractor accident at Karaitivu in Ampara, who was previously reported missing, has surrendered to the Karaitivu Police Station. According to Karaitivu Police, the tractor driver’s assistant appeared by himself at the police station this morning (28) and was arrested for endangering lives by illegally transporting passengers in a tractor for monetary gain, despite warnings from security forces during the flood situation. Meanwhile, the bodies of four school children, another passenger, and the tractor driver involved in the incident have been recovered. However, the Disaster Management Center (DMC) confirmed that two students are…

Due to the ongoing flood situation, residents of Kokilai East and Kokilai West Grama Seva Divisions in the Mullaitivu District, which have been severely impacted by the disaster, have been provided shelter at Kokilai Tamil Vidyalaya and Kokilai Viharasthanaya.Currently, the government has distributed dry ration packs to these affected communities. While the dry ration items were being cooked and distributed, troops deployed in the area provided breakfast to the children sheltered at Kokilai Vidyalaya.