Sri Lankan AI News Summary

SRI LANKA DAILY NEWS DIGEST - Thursday, September 10, 2026 CYCLONE DITWAH RECOVERY President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has approved extending the monthly Rs. 25,000 rent allowance for families displaced by Cyclone Ditwah until December 31, Leader of the House Bimal Ratnayake told Parliament. Separately, Parliament was told that around 2,422 people still displaced in Kegalle District are expected to be resettled soon. PARLIAMENT AND GOVERNANCE Parliament passed the Chief of Defence Staff (Repeal) Bill, abolishing the post of Chief of Defence Staff. The Bribery Commission (CIABOC) has given officials who filed their 2026 asset declarations after the June 30 deadline until September 30 to explain the delay, warning that administrative penalties will be scaled to the number of days late. A five-judge Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena is hearing submissions on the 22nd Amendment. FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND DEFENCE President Dissanayake asked for India's fullest cooperation in fighting the illicit drug trade during talks with visiting Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at the Presidential Secretariat. Analysts are also pressing for a new India-Sri Lanka fisheries partnership to address long-running tensions in the Palk Strait. At the UN Human Rights Council, Sri Lanka called for country-specific mandates to be periodically reviewed against measurable outcomes rather than treated as open-ended. Colombo has pledged USD 1 million in humanitarian aid to Nepal after the August 26 Bhote Koshi River floods that hit Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading. ECONOMY AND INVESTMENT The Board of Investment registered its agreement with Sahasdhanavi Limited for a 350 MW combined cycle power plant at the Kerawalapitiya Industrial Zone, backed by USD 291 million. EDOTCO Services Lanka signed a USD 10 million BOI agreement to expand shared digital infrastructure nationwide. GEM SRI LANKA 2027 was launched in Bangkok, promoting high value-added gem and jewellery exports. Markets moved the other way: the Colombo Stock Exchange closed lower on September 9 for a second straight session, with both indices down amid broad selling. HEALTH The World Health Organization presented Sri Lanka with a special citation for sustaining its malaria-free status and for eliminating maternal and neonatal tetanus for ten consecutive years. LAW AND SOCIETY Retired Supreme Court Justice Aluvihare told a forum that lawyers cannot facilitate or conceal financial crime, arguing the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing now extends well beyond banks and regulators. Commentators also renewed calls for family preservation approaches in handling juvenile offenders. INTERNATIONAL Escalating US-Iran hostilities have spilled into Gulf shipping. A tanker carrying about 2 million barrels of Iraqi fuel oil was struck by a drone in Iraqi territorial waters on Wednesday, and UKMTO reported several merchant vessels hit by disabling fire overnight. Iran's Revolutionary Guard said it attacked two American vessels and eight oil tankers, and also struck US forces in Jordan. In the United States, New York City released previously undisclosed documents suggesting officials downplayed the dangers of post-9/11 air quality, days before the attacks' 25th anniversary. SPORT Avindu Liyanagedara of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura won gold at the 2026 FISU World University Weightlifting Championships in Doha, with Nipun also medalling, giving Sri Lanka its first FISU medals. Sri Lanka Cricket selection chief Kapila Wijeygunawardene said players returning from injury must first prove match fitness in local cricket. At the Western Province Schools Sports Festival in Diyagama, 22 new records fell on day three, 12 of them in a single discipline.