Sri Lankan AI News Summary.

Sri Lanka Daily News Digest — Sunday, October 25, 2026 WEATHER ALERT: CYCLONE THREAT AND HEAVY RAIN A deep depression near the North Andaman Islands is expected to become a severe cyclonic storm by tomorrow (27). The Disaster Management Centre has sent rescue teams and equipment to high-risk areas. The Meteorology Department forecasts more than 100 mm of rain in parts of the Northern, Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, North Western and Central provinces and in Anuradhapura District. A landslide near Kadigamuwa station has stopped train services between Rambukkana and Gampola via Peradeniya until further notice. KOGGALA BUS-TRAIN COLLISION Twelve children are now reported injured after a train hit a bus carrying students yesterday. The crash happened at an unprotected railway crossing near the Martin Wickramasinghe Memorial Museum in Koggala, Habaraduwa. The injured were taken to hospital. GNANASARA THERO PROTEST SUSPENDED The satyagraha at Viharamahadevi Park calling for a presidential pardon for Ven. Galagodaatte Gnanasara Thero has been suspended for now, Ven. Ulapane Sumangala Thero said. The Mahanayake Theros of the Three Nikayas urged the monks to keep monastic discipline and settle the matter according to the Dhamma and Vinaya. They warned that some groups were using the protests to damage the clergy's reputation. FOREIGN RELATIONS AND MARITIME PM Harini Amarasuriya restated Sri Lanka's neutrality and non-alignment, saying the war in the Middle East "serves no one." Sri Lanka sent home 40 Iranian sailors after a humanitarian operation brought them ashore from merchant vessels stranded off Galle and gave them medical care. An Indian Navy training squadron of two naval ships and a Coast Guard vessel arrives in Colombo today for a three-day goodwill visit. ECONOMY, TRADE AND TOURISM British Airways has resumed flights to Sri Lanka after 11 years away, a sign of growing confidence in tourism. A new trade agreement with China's Yunnan Province will lower costs for Sri Lankan exporters and improve their access to the Chinese market. Officials say the country is moving past the economic crisis and positioning itself as a regional hub for trade, industry, technology and investment. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake visited the Anuradhapura Sacred Area to check progress on its development project, which includes renovating access roads. CYBERSECURITY The Digital Economy Ministry has ordered government institutions to take emergency action on critical PHP vulnerabilities that are being targeted worldwide. SPORTS Sri Lanka has moved up to sixth in the ICC Men's ODI rankings, ahead of England, after a record-breaking win that collapsed England's batting. Pakistan now face England in Lahore for a place in the tri-series final. Sri Lanka's Asian Para Games medal winners return from Nagoya this evening, led by 21-year-old Janani Dhananjana. Table tennis player Senura Silva has become the first Sri Lankan to qualify for the ITTF World Championship 2027 in Kazakhstan. OTHER An editorial argues that community service for offenders saves taxpayers' money and helps them rejoin society.