Author: Buzzer Editorial

Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe has been named as a respondent of the writ petition filed with the Court of Appeal challenging the previous government’s decision to purchase passports from two foreign companies.Wickremesinghe has been named as a respondent of the relevant writ petition filed by Epic Lanka Private Limited, through a motion submitted by the petitioning party, when the petition was taken up before the two-member Appeals Court judge bench comprising Justices Mohammed Laffar and P. Kumaratnam today (06).During the hearing, the attorneys who appeared for the two foreign companies named as respondents stated that their clients have been critically…

Republican Donald Trump claimed victory in the 2024 presidential contest after Fox News projected that he had defeated Democrat Kamala Harris, which would cap a stunning political comeback four years after he left the White House.“America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate,” he said early on Wednesday to a roaring crowd of supporters at the Palm Beach County Convention Center.Other news outlets had yet to call the race for Trump, but he appeared on the verge of winning after capturing the battleground states of Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia and holding leads in the other four, according to…

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya recently met with key figures from the International Cricket Council (ICC) Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU), including Mr. Sumathi Dharmawardena, President’s Counsel and the newly appointed Independent Chair of the ICC’s ACU and Mr. Alex Marshall, General Manager of the ICC Integrity Unit.During the discussion, Mr. Alex Marshall noted Sri Lanka’s progress in combating corruption in cricket over the past seven years, emphasizing the importance of player education and strengthening the Ministry of Sports’ Special Investigations, according to the PM’s Office.The meeting was also attended by Mr. Andrew Ephgrave, Senior Manager, of ICC ACU Operations; Mr. Vije…

The People’s Republic of China has agreed to provide the total amount of around 11.82 million meters of fabric required to be provided for schoolchildren as uniform materials for the year 2025.Thus, after testing the sample sent to the Ministry of Education in relation to the relevant stock of fabric by the Sri Lanka Textile and Garment Institute (SLITA), it has been recommended that the fabric is suitable for use by school students.Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal presented by the Prime Minister as the Minister of Education, Science and Technology to accept the Chinese Government’s grant…

Specialist Dr. Shafi Sihabdeen has been acquitted from all charges by the Kurunegala Magistrate’s Court, Ada Derana reporter said. The case against Dr. Shafi, who had been accused of allegedly amassing assets through suspicious means, performing illegal sterilization surgeries and having links to terrorist activities, was taken up for hearing today (06).Following the consideration of the facts presented, the Kurunegala Magistrate ordered the case to be dismissed, since there was no sufficient evidence for the case to be maintained, and ordered the acquittal of defendant Dr. Shafi from all related charges.Furthermore, the court also lifted the overseas travel ban which was…

The Cabinet of Ministers has decided to allow the use of the Galle Face Green for miscellaneous social activities.Earlier on 17 April 2023, the Cabinet of Ministers passed a resolution not to allow the utilization of the Galle Face Green, which is controlled under the management and administration of Sri Lanka Ports Management and Consultancy Services Pvt. Ltd, a company managed by the Sri Lanka Port Authority, for activities other than religious activities.Speaking during the Cabinet press briefing held today (06), Cabinet Spokesman Minister Vijitha Herath stated that the administration and maintenance of the Galle Face Green costs approximately Rs.…

Sri Lanka’s Department of Animal Production and Health has announced steps to issue a new Gazette notification, relaxing some of the restrictions imposed earlier due to the African swine fever outbreak.Director General of the department Dr. Hemali Kothalawala stated that permission has now been granted for the transportation of healthy animals.“Based on the current situation in the field, there has been a slight decrease in the spread of the disease this week, and it’s essential to protect the industry,” Dr. Kothalawala explained. “We have relaxed certain restrictions and issued a new Gazette, which will be effective from November 4 until further…

The world’s first wooden satellite, built by Japanese researchers, was launched into space on Tuesday, in an early test of using timber in lunar and Mars exploration.LignoSat, developed by Kyoto University and homebuilder Sumitomo Forestry, will be flown to the International Space Station on a SpaceX mission, and later released into orbit about 400 km (250 miles) above the Earth.Named after the Latin word for “wood”, the palm-sized LignoSat is tasked to demonstrate the cosmic potential of the renewable material as humans explore living in space.“With timber, a material we can produce by ourselves, we will be able to build…

District Returning Officers and Assistant Election Commissioners have been summoned to the Election Commission today (06) to discuss preparations for the upcoming parliamentary election.The Commissioner General of Elections, Saman Sri Ratnayake, stated, “A discussion is scheduled this morning regarding the parliamentary election to be held on November 14, 2024, with the participation of District Returning Officers, District Deputy and Assistant Commissioners.”He added that the meeting would be chaired by the Chairman of the Election Commission and with the participation of all Commission members, as well as senior officials including the Commissioner General and Additional Commissioners, at the commission’s main office.“It…

Residents in U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris’ ancestral village in southern India were preparing to hold prayers on election day on Tuesday in a Hindu temple more than 8,000 miles (13,000 km) from Washington.Harris’ maternal grandfather P.V. Gopalan was born more than a century ago in the leafy village of Thulasendrapuram in what is now southern India’s Tamil Nadu state.“There will be a special prayer on Tuesday morning at the temple,” G. Manikandan, a villager who runs a small store near the temple, said. “Celebrations will follow if she wins.”At the temple, Harris’ name is engraved into a stone…