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A 26-year-old man has been taken into custody in Wellampitiya after authorities found him carrying 130 foreign-made electronic cigarettes suspected to have been intended for illegal sale.

The arrest followed a joint operation involving naval personnel attached to SLNS Rangala under the Western Naval Command and officers from the Divisional Criminal Investigation Unit in Mirihana.

The suspect, who is a resident of Wellampitiya, was reportedly found in possession of the electronic cigarettes during the search. A car was also seized as part of the operation.

Following the arrest, the suspect, the electronic cigarettes and the vehicle were handed over to Wellampitiya Police for further investigations and legal proceedings.

The Sri Lanka Navy confirmed the operation and subsequent handover.

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.

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has alleged widespread financial and operational malpractices in the execution of the second phase of the Eastern Container Terminal (ECT) development at the Port of Colombo.

Addressing a group of engineers at his office in Colombo, Premadasa stated that technical officers had raised severe red flags regarding the state-backed infrastructure initiative.

Originally launched in January 2023, the project was scheduled for completion by 3 January 2025, but key operations remain unfinished well past the initial timeframe.

Significant structural conflicts of interest have compromised the integrity of the development, according to the Opposition Leader.

He highlighted that engineers are concurrently serving in both the Project Management Unit and the independent advisory team, essentially forcing personnel to evaluate their own decisions instead of maintaining distinct oversight bodies.

Furthermore, he noted that the project is operating without a permanent project director, whilst project deadlines have been extended three times without requisite Cabinet approval.

With the third extension set to lapse on 7 July 2026, he asserted that a fourth unauthorized extension is currently being processed by officials without approval from the Sri Lanka Ports Authority.

The administrative oversights are accompanied by serious fiscal irregularities that threaten public funds.

Premadasa claimed that unauthorized advance payments are being continuously disbursed, with certain financial entries made secretly and others removed from official logs, resulting in severe losses for both the port authority and the national treasury.

In addition, staff recruited through a competitive process under the 2019 Management Services Circular have not received updated salary scales.

The Opposition Leader pointed out that these systemic failures and alleged unlawful transactions threaten to undermine investor confidence and delay critical maritime infrastructure.

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

The results of the 2026 Grade 5 Scholarship Examination have been released online, according to the Commissioner General of Examinations.

Students and parents can access the results through the official website of the Department of Examinations at www.doenets.lk.

The examination was conducted on August 9 across 2,723 examination centres throughout the country.

A total of 294,089 students sat for this year’s examination.

Of the candidates, 220,366 were Sinhala-medium students, while 73,723 candidates sat for the examination in the Tamil medium.

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.

Sri Lanka has been urged to urgently develop a comprehensive national policy to address the growing human-elephant conflict, with greater involvement from relevant government institutions and other stakeholders.

The issue was discussed at a recent meeting of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Environment, Agriculture and Resource Sustainability, held at Parliament under the chairmanship of MP Hector Appuhamy.

The committee considered research findings and policy recommendations from a joint project conducted by the Coalition for Inclusive Impact (CII), UNESCO and the Centre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA).

A key focus of the discussion was reducing encounters between people and wild elephants by addressing shortages of food and water within wildlife habitats. The committee also examined ways to improve elephant habitats and encourage greater participation by communities in environmental conservation.

Members stressed the importance of introducing a suitable management programme to reduce the likelihood of elephants entering populated areas in search of food and water.

The committee also called for six identified elephant corridors to be gazetted without further delay. Improving habitats within wildlife reserves and expanding awareness programmes among communities living in affected areas were also identified as priorities.

The meeting further addressed environmental concerns surrounding the Muthurajawela wetland system. The committee highlighted the need to properly survey and demarcate State-owned lands in order to protect the wetland, while improving coordination between government agencies to prevent unauthorised activities.

Issues affecting small-scale fishing communities were also discussed, with attention given to possible measures to strengthen their livelihoods.

The committee stressed that solutions to environmental challenges must be based on scientific research, reliable data and evidence. It also emphasised stronger cooperation between relevant State institutions and the adaptation of successful approaches from elsewhere to suit Sri Lanka’s own circumstances.

The discussions underscored the need for coordinated and evidence-based action to address the human-elephant conflict while protecting both communities and wildlife.

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.

The Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court has directed the Director of the Colombo National Hospital to submit a report on the current health condition of retired Major General Suresh Sallay.

The court has requested details on his present medical condition and whether he requires any further medical treatment.

The hospital director has been instructed to provide the relevant medical information to the court.

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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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.