Author: Buzzer Editorial

A businessman has been arrested in the Meegaswewa area of Polonnaruwa for illegally hoarding 604 litres of petrol without a valid license.The arrested suspect, a 70-year-old owner of a retail shop, was apprehended yesterday (18), following information received by the Meegaswewa Police Station, police said. The suspect reportedly had been collecting petrol stocks from fuel stations in the area during the past few days.Police suspect that the fuel was being hoarded to be sold at higher prices during shortages.The suspect is scheduled to be produced before the Hingurakgoda Magistrate’s Court today (19).

The Pentagon has asked the White house to approve more than $200bn (£151bn) in order to fund the war in Iran, a senior administration official has told the Washington Post.The paper says that this amount would far surpass the cost of the Trump administration’s campaign to date, and would instead seek to ‘‘urgently’‘ increase production of critical weaponry expended.Several different funding requests have been ‘‘floated’‘ by the Pentagon over the past two weeks, and the Post suggests that the most recent iteration is ‘‘likely to stage a major political battle in Congress’‘.The US Department of the Defence and the White…

US President Donald Trump has just issued a long Truth social post about the attack on the South Pars oil field in Iran, saying the US ‘‘knew nothing’’ of the Israeli attack – and threatening an escalation if Iran retaliates against Qatar again.‘‘Out of anger’’, Israel ‘‘violently lashed out’’ in the attack that hit a ‘‘relatively small section of the whole’’, Trumo writes.He says Iran ‘‘did not know this’’ and that it’s retaliatory attacks on Qatar’s LNG gas facility at Ras Laffan were made ‘‘unjustifiably and unfairly’’.Israel will not attack the Iranian South Pars oil field again, he says, describing…

The Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani of Qatar has received a phone call from President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Anura Kumara Dissanayake, to discuss regional developments and bilateral concerns.President Dissanayake expressed his country’s solidarity with the State of Qatar, referring to ongoing Iranian aggression affecting Qatar and the wider region.The Amir reassured the Sri Lankan leader about conditions inside Qatar, particularly the wellbeing of the Sri Lankan community living in the country, and reiterated the government’s commitment to the safety and welfare of all who live on Qatari soil.The two leaders also discussed broader regional…

A new feature has been added to the system starting today (19) to address the difficulties faced by the public when trying to obtain the QR code of a previously registered vehicle, especially in cases where the mobile phone number used for the original registration is no longer in use.In many instances, those who have purchased a vehicle or changed the phone number encountered issues in removing the existing registration (Reset/Override) and re-registering under a new phone number. The new methodology eliminates those barriers and enables users to obtain their fuel QR codes more conveniently, the Ministry of Digital Economy said. Accordingly:This…

Iran’s football federation is in discussions with FIFA about moving their World Cup matches from the United States to Mexico due to concerns about the safety of their players, Iranian football president Mehdi Taj said on Monday.U.S. President Donald Trump said last week that Iran were welcome to participate but suggested it might not be appropriate for them to play in the U.S. ‘‘for their own life and safety.”‘‘When Trump has explicitly stated that he cannot ensure the security of the Iranian national team, we will certainly not travel to America,’‘ said Taj in a post on the Iranian embassy…

The government has released the ‘Avurudu Nekath Seettuwa’ for this year’s Sinhala and Tamil New Year.Accoridngly, Sri Lankans celebrate the dawn of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year on April 14.The New Year, known as ‘Aluth Avurudda’ in Sinhala, and ‘Puththandu’ in Tamil, is celebrated by both communities by observing various rituals and customs.According to traditional astrological belief, the Sun completes its movement across the twelve segments of the Zodiac in the course of a year taking one month to travel each constellation.The transition of the Sun from the House of Pisces to the House of Aries marks the beginning…

Public transport services, including train operations, will be limited on Wednesdays, which have been declared as government holidays, according to Cabinet Spokesman Nalinda Jayatissa.The Minister made this clarification regarding the government’s decision to declare Wednesdays as a public holiday every week until further notice, in light of the prevailing fuel crisis.Responding to a question during the Cabinet press briefing today (17), he stated that several alternatives were carefully considered before selecting the specific day. The option of introducing a three-day weekend from Friday through Sunday was ultimately rejected, as it was assessed that such a move could significantly disrupt government operations…

Minister of Energy, Kumara Jayakodi, stated that although no power cuts have been implemented thus far despite the ongoing fuel crisis, there is a possibility that such measures may be required in the future.Responding to a question raised by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa under Standing Order 27.2 in Parliament today (17) regarding the potential implementation of power cuts, the Minister said: “We are currently maintaining the supply without interrupting power even for a single hour. However, there may come a time when we have to implement power cuts.”

Minister of Energy, Kumara Jayakodi, made a statement in Parliament today (17) regarding the duration for which fuel supplies are sufficient in the country under normal consumption.The Minister provided the following details during his special statement in Parliament:92 Octane Petrol – Sufficient until April 2395 Octane Petrol – Sufficient until May 10Diesel – Sufficient until April 12Super Diesel – Sufficient until May 10