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Police investigations are continuing into the sudden death of renowned Sri Lankan model Chulpadmendra Kumarapathirana, whose remains have been taken to a private funeral parlour in Borella.

Kumarapathirana, 45, was found unresponsive on a bed at the residence of a businessman in Thumbowila, Piliyandala, on August 31.

According to police, she had been in a romantic relationship with the businessman and had travelled to his residence in the early hours of August 31. She had reportedly attended an event she organised in Battaramulla the previous day.

Police said Kumarapathirana later went to sleep in a room at the residence. At approximately 12.45 p.m., attempts were made to wake her, but she failed to respond.

The 1990 Suwa Seriya ambulance service was subsequently summoned, and medical personnel confirmed her death.

A bloodstain was reportedly discovered on the bedsheet where she had been sleeping. Following the incident, the businessman lodged a complaint with the Piliyandala Police, while Kumarapathirana’s mother also filed a separate complaint.

The matter was taken before the Kesbewa Magistrate's Court, after which the Acting Magistrate inspected both the scene and the deceased.

A post-mortem examination was later carried out at the Kalubowila Teaching Hospital by a Judicial Medical Officer following a court order.

However, the examination returned an open verdict. Police said no external or internal injuries had been identified on Kumarapathirana’s body.

As investigations continue, samples and portions of the remains have been forwarded to the Government Analyst for further forensic examination.

The exact cause and circumstances of her death have not yet been established, and police are awaiting the results of the forensic analysis to assist in determining what occurred.

Kumarapathirana was a recognised figure in Sri Lanka’s modelling and pageant circles. She also became known to the wider public through her association with the controversy surrounding the 2021 Mrs. World incident involving former Mrs. World Caroline Jurie and Mrs. Sri Lanka Pushpika de Silva.

Investigations are being conducted by the Piliyandala Police under the direction of the relevant authorities.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has called for greater transparency and coordination among state institutions to resolve long-standing licensing barriers that have hindered investment in Sri Lanka's mineral sector.

The President made these remarks during a discussion held at the Presidential Secretariat on 31 August, which brought together officials from the Sri Lanka Mineral Sands Association and the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau to examine ways of developing the sector under the export-oriented National Mineral Policy 2026.

The discussion focused on the full value chain of the mineral industry, covering exploration, extraction, processing and value addition, while also addressing the need for stronger infrastructure, improved investor incentives and expanded research and development.

Officials at the meeting acknowledged that investors continue to face significant difficulty in securing mining licences, a process complicated by the involvement of multiple state institutions with overlapping responsibilities.

This licensing bottleneck is widely regarded as one of the most serious obstacles facing the implementation of the National Mineral Policy 2026.

Mineral exploration is a high-risk and capital-intensive undertaking, often requiring investors to commit millions of dollars before establishing whether a commercially viable deposit exists.

Where licensing procedures remain slow, unpredictable or subject to numerous institutional approvals, Sri Lanka risks losing ground to competing mineral jurisdictions that offer greater regulatory certainty.

Analysts note that the core issue is not the availability of licences but whether investors can obtain them through a system that is predictable, transparent and bound by clear timelines.

Without such certainty, the policy's export ambitions are likely to remain largely theoretical. Investors require clarity on where exploration is permitted, the environmental and social obligations attached to it, the length of the approval process, the royalties and taxes involved, and the conditions under which exploration rights can be converted into extraction rights once viable deposits are found.

There are also concerns that the current lack of clarity around licensing, institutional responsibility and approval procedures could expose investment decisions to delays, inconsistent interpretation and perceptions of preferential treatment.

This is understood to be a key reason behind the President's emphasis on transparency and stronger coordination between government institutions.

Beyond licensing, there is growing recognition that Sri Lanka must move away from exporting minerals in raw or minimally processed form and instead focus on value addition, including the processing of mineral sands and the development of downstream manufacturing and technology-intensive industries built around domestic resources.

However, such investment is unlikely to materialise unless investors are confident that the mineral supply, licensing framework, infrastructure and regulatory environment are stable and secure.

The Government now faces the task of converting the National Mineral Policy 2026 from a policy document into a functioning investment framework.

Measures such as a centralised licensing mechanism, clearly defined approval timelines, transparent concession procedures, publicly accessible geological data and coordinated environmental approvals are seen as critical to improving investor confidence in the sector.

The Government is pursuing legal reforms that could allow certain individuals to serve their sentences under house arrest instead of being imprisoned, Cabinet Spokesperson Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said today (01).

Speaking at the weekly Cabinet media briefing at the Department of Government Information, Jayatissa said discussions on the proposed changes are already underway, with legislation being drafted to give effect to several judicial reforms.

He said the proposed measures form part of a wider effort to address challenges within Sri Lanka’s justice and prison systems.

Among the reforms under consideration is a mechanism to reduce overcrowding in prisons by permitting eligible individuals to serve sentences outside prison under house arrest.

The Government is also looking at measures to speed up reports issued by the Government Analyst’s Department, as delays in such reports can affect the progress of legal proceedings.

According to Jayatissa, legal changes are also being considered to provide bail to individuals who are unable to secure release due to difficulties in meeting existing bail requirements.

The Minister said these proposals are being pursued alongside broader reforms to the judicial system.

He added that a proposal to increase the retirement age of judges is also being examined as part of the wider judicial reform programme.

The proposed changes are currently at the discussion and legislative drafting stage, and further legal steps would be required before they can take effect.

The death toll from the devastating flood in Nepal’s Bhotekoshi river has risen to 1,127, with bodies recovered from several districts and neighbouring India, Nepal Police said on Wednesday.

As of 5am, 45 bodies had been recovered in Rasuwa, where the flooding originated, while 155 were found in Nuwakot, 59 in Dhading, 348 in Chitwan, 66 in Gorkha, 38 in Tanahun, 217 in Nawalparasi East, 190 in Nawalparasi West and nine in India.

Police said postmortem and legal identification procedures had been completed for 1,113 bodies, while 95 had been handed over to relatives.

Details of 911 unidentified bodies have been uploaded to the Nepal Police website to help families identify missing relatives.

Authorities have deployed 7,912 police personnel to flood-hit areas for search and rescue operations, relief distribution and the management of recovered bodies.

Police said 6,541 people had been rescued from affected areas, while search operations were continuing for 4,858 people reported missing.

Police teams are also moving families from high-risk areas to safer locations, clearing roads blocked by debris and coordinating search, rescue and relief operations with local authorities and residents.

The flood caused by an ice-rock avalanche has caused widespread destruction along the Bhotekoshi river and affected settlements, roads, border trade facilities and hydropower infrastructure in several districts.

Source: The Kathmandu Post

Veteran Sri Lankan singer and actor Priyankara Perera has passed away at the age of 64 while receiving medical treatment at the Colombo National Hospital.

Perera, who had been battling an illness for some time, died last night, according to his family.

His remains are scheduled to be taken to a private funeral parlour in Borella this afternoon (September 2), where members of the public, friends and well-wishers will have an opportunity to pay their final respects.

The final rites will be held tomorrow (September 3).

Born into a family with a strong musical legacy, Priyankara Perera was the son of renowned singer J.A. Milton Perera. He went on to establish his own identity in Sri Lanka’s entertainment industry, gaining popularity as a vocalist through a number of well-known songs.

His career extended beyond music, with appearances in several films and television dramas. Through both singing and acting, he became a familiar figure among Sri Lankan audiences.

His death marks the loss of an artist who contributed to the country’s music, film and television industries over the years.

The Department of Wildlife Conservation has taken steps to construct additional ponds in Yala National Park to provide drinking water for wild animals affected by the prevailing drought.

Yala Park Warden A.T.R. Ravindra said existing ponds and water holes are also being restored as part of the effort to address the shortage of water.

He said water is being transported from the Menik Ganga by bowsers to fill the ponds and water holes inside the park.

Meanwhile, herds of wild elephants from forest reserves in Okkampitiya and Maligawila have been visiting the Illukpitiya Tank day and night in search of water.

However, the tank has now run dry, leaving only a muddy pool in its centre.

Authorities said water sources across the forests have dried up due to the prevailing drought, leaving wild animals among the worst affected.

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has warned that the proposed 22nd Amendment to the Constitution poses a grave threat to judicial independence and the rule of law.

He made the remarks speaking to the media after attending the hearing of petitions against the amendment at the Supreme Court yesterday (01).

Premadasa accused the governmentof eroding democratic norms despite being elected to safeguard them.

He said that his party, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya, has joined several other groups in challenging the amendment through the highest court in the country.

Single-party rule

Premadasa said that the proposed changes violate established international norms governing the judiciary.

He noted that legal bodies, including the Commonwealth Lawyers Association, have already voiced serious concern that the amendment weakens the judicial framework.

He claimed the government is pushing the legislation to consolidate power and establish single-party dominance.

He pointed to recent changes in youth society elections and civil security committee appointments as further proof of a broader push to dilute democratic institutions.

Calls for a referendum

Because power is shared across the executive, legislature, and judiciary, Premadasa argued that a measure with such wide-reaching impact must be put to a national referendum rather than decided solely by a parliamentary vote.

He stressed that protecting judicial independence remains non-negotiable under both local and international legal standards.

He added that the NPP government is failing to resolve critical domestic issues, including industrial decline and rising unemployment, while offering inadequate remedies to the public.

Rather than restricting democratic freedoms, the Opposition Leader urged the government to fulfill its original mandate by introducing a new constitution, abolishing the executive presidency, and expanding the fundamental rights chapter.

A Sri Lankan-origin Australian couple and their two young sons are among dozens of Australians still missing after catastrophic floods devastated areas along the Nepal-Tibet border, according to Australian media reports.

Chandrasekaran Muralitharan, 47, his wife, Shylaja Muralitharan, 42, and their sons Ashwin, 14, and Aarush, 11, were travelling with a Himalayan Glacier Adventures group when contact with them was lost.

The family lives in northwestern Sydney. Chandrasekaran is originally from Kopay in Jaffna, while he and his wife are first-generation Sri Lankan migrants to Australia, according to reports from Sri Lankan and Australian media. Their two sons were born into the Australian Tamil diaspora.

The family was on a pilgrimage to the Mount Kailash region when the floods struck on August 26.

Relatives said their last contact with the family came on the morning of the disaster. They were preparing to have breakfast before travelling toward the border for immigration formalities, ABC News reported.

Their family was unable to reach them after that call as floods and landslides destroyed roads, electricity supplies and communications across large parts of the affected region.

The Muralitharans were travelling with a tour group that included 15 Australians. Members of the group were believed to have been near Rasuwagadhi, close to the Nepal-China border, when the disaster struck.

Australian authorities said Monday that 43 Australians remained unaccounted for following the floods. Many were pilgrims travelling through Nepal toward Tibet to visit Mount Kailash.

The wider disaster has become one of the deadliest Himalayan floods in recent years.

For relatives of the Muralitharan family, however, attention remains focused on finding the four missing family members.

Shylaja's sister told Australian media that relatives were continuing to seek information from authorities and the tour operator while hoping the family had managed to reach safety.

Reports said the pilgrimage had been particularly important to Shylaja and that the family had spent considerable time preparing for the journey.

The family's Sri Lankan roots have also drawn attention from members of the Sri Lankan community at home and in Australia as the search continues.

Australian emergency personnel have been deployed to Nepal to assist consular and response operations, while officials are working with local authorities to account for missing citizens.

As rescue teams continue searching the devastated border region, the Muralitharan family remains among those whose whereabouts have not been confirmed.

(ABC)

The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) has dismissed as contradictory the allegations being levelled against Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa over the proposed 22nd Amendment to the Constitution and his current political conduct.

The party made its position clear at a press conference held at its headquarters in Pitakotte, where SJB Teldeniya organiser and Working Committee member Mahesh Senanayake addressed journalists on the matter.

Senanayake said that the ruling party had earlier accused Sajith Premadasa of engineering opposition to the 22nd Amendment through the President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka.

He said it was ironic that certain non-parliamentary opposition groups were now making the opposite claim, alleging that the Opposition Leader was instead negotiating deals with the government.

He said one camp accused Premadasa of mobilising resistance to the amendment while another accused him of siding with the government, and noted that both claims could not logically stand together.

He said that these allegations were baseless and stated that Sajith Premadasa's only commitment was to the people of the country.

Senanayake also noted that the SJB remained the official opposition, having been chosen through a popular mandate, and said the public was closely observing the conduct of self-declared joint opposition groups operating outside Parliament.

Senanayake said the proposed 22nd Amendment and the question of judicial independence had generated debate both within Sri Lanka and abroad.

He noted that bodies such as the International Commission of Jurists and the Asian Bar Association, along with UN Special Rapporteurs, were following developments relating to judicial independence and democratic governance in the country.

He said a responsible government was obliged to respond to such international queries with clarity and transparency, adding that failure to do so would only invite further scrutiny of the country's democratic institutions.

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Former Aviation Minister Piyankara Jayaratne has been sentenced to seven years of rigorous imprisonment by the Colombo High Court after being found guilty of bribery charges.

The sentence was handed down by the Colombo High Court in connection with the bribery case against the former minister.