Sri Lankan AI News Summary

Sri Lanka Daily News Digest – Wednesday, July 29, 2026 ECONOMY & REGULATION S&P Global Ratings has affirmed Sri Lanka's sovereign credit rating at 'CCC+/C' with a stable outlook, citing continued economic recovery, strong revenue growth and improved fiscal management. Separately, the Cabinet has approved a proposal to establish a legal framework regulating virtual assets and virtual asset service providers (VASPs), as the government moves to tighten oversight of the country's growing digital asset sector. PUBLIC SAFETY & WATER SUPPLY NARA has launched an investigation into blue bottle jellyfish (Physalia) sightings at Panadura beach after several swimmers were stung, and has issued public safety advisories. Meanwhile, the NWSDB says it has no current plans to restrict water supply anywhere in the country, despite dry, El Niño-related conditions. COURTS Former SJB Horana organiser Charith Abeysinghe has been remanded again by the Colombo Magistrate's Court after failing to satisfy his bail conditions. SPORTS Sri Lanka's women's team beat Pakistan by eight wickets in the third ODI on Tuesday, with captain Chamari Athapaththu starring with bat and ball to seal the three-match series 2-1. In domestic cricket, the LPL 2026 playoff race is heating up in its final league stage, with Galle Gallants on top of the table and Colombo Kaps, Jaffna Kings, Dambulla Sixers and Kandy Royals all still in contention for the remaining playoff spots, ahead of six matches left at Pallekele before the tournament shifts to Colombo. SRI LANKANS ABROAD A 22-year-old Sri Lankan man has been sentenced to 89 days in prison by an Australian court for assaulting a fellow train passenger with a glass bottle in Brisbane. WORLD NEWS Uganda's health minister has declared the country Ebola-free, marking the end of an outbreak that infected 20 people and killed two. In the Middle East, US President Trump is set to host Israeli PM Netanyahu at the White House for a seventh time, despite political risk amid the ongoing US-Israel tensions with Iran. In Europe, French authorities evacuated roughly 4,000 people from Atlantic coast tourist sites as renewed heat threatens firefighters battling a major wildfire near Bordeaux, part of a wider wildfire crisis in France and Spain that has displaced about 330,000 people. In India, the government has summoned a top Meta executive after a video posted by PM Modi was briefly removed from Facebook, amid ongoing protests over leaked exam papers.