Sri Lankan AI News Summary

SRI LANKA DAILY NEWS DIGEST - Wednesday, September 23, 2026 EASTER SUNDAY VERDICT Seven years after the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, the Colombo High Court Trial-at-Bar convicted 15 of the 24 accused and acquitted nine of all charges. The accused faced 23,270 charges, including conspiring to carry out suicide attacks on tourist hotels, churches and other targets in Colombo and elsewhere, and aiding the attackers. Naufar Moulavi is among those convicted. Sentences handed down today range from 200 to 260 years in prison. ECONOMY Fitch Ratings upgraded Sri Lanka's sovereign credit rating to 'B-' with a Stable Outlook yesterday, a milestone in the country's post-default recovery. Separately, CEAT Kelani Holdings retained its Fitch AA+ national rating for a sixth straight year, with the agency citing a resilient financial profile amid cost and competitive pressures. Colombo-listed Ambeon Capital PLC signed an MoU with Chennai-based Sincere Syndication and Corporate Services LLP and Avyukthi Consulting & Advisory Services LLP, expanding into multi-family office and advisory services. WEATHER AND WATER Heavy rainfall above 100mm is expected in several parts of the island as the depression over the northwest Bay of Bengal, to the northeast of Sri Lanka, is forecast to deepen within 12 hours. Globally, the 2026 El Nino has now surpassed every previous event on record, with central equatorial Pacific sea-surface temperatures at unprecedented levels and wide-ranging effects on weather patterns expected. The National Water Supply and Drainage Board has suspended supply to several areas of Anuradhapura for eight hours today. POLITICS AND COURTS The Central Crime Investigation Bureau has opened an investigation into former Minister Wimal Weerawansa, on a Colombo Magistrate's Court order, to determine whether remarks he made at an SLPP rally in Anuradhapura amounted to contempt of court. Cabinet Spokesman Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa said a referendum cannot be triggered by protests or demonstrations against the proposed 22nd Amendment to the Constitution. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has forwarded to the Constitutional Council his recommendation to elevate High Court Judges Navaratne Marasinghe and Manjula Thilakaratne to the Court of Appeal. SEAT BELT RULES UNCLEAR Transport and Urban Development Minister Bimal Rathnayake told Parliament the new mandatory expressway seat belt regulation does not cap passenger numbers and applies to all passengers. Police, however, say certain passengers are exempt under the relevant Gazette notification, leaving motorists with conflicting guidance. HEALTH A Health Ministry investigation into the death of a former Ampara hospital director, who died while being treated at Sri Jayewardenepura General Hospital, has raised serious questions over the medical and nursing procedures followed. The case lands as analysts press for reform of a system recording nearly 80 million outpatient visits a year in a country of 22 million, driven by patients bypassing primary care. FOREIGN AFFAIRS Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told Parliament the government is pursuing legal and diplomatic measures to free Sivarasa Anojan, a Sri Lankan migrant worker held in Saudi Arabia, with the President to make a formal appeal to Riyadh. Herath also conveyed condolences to Dubai's royal family and people over the death of Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. In commentary, analysts argue Sri Lanka should look East while positioning itself within the Global South to secure strategic autonomy. SPORT India's women retained their Asian Games T20 cricket gold with a commanding 147-run win. Sri Lanka's mixed doubles table tennis pair Bimandee Bandara and Chanul Dulsen beat Qatar in their opening round at the 20th Asian Games.