Sri Lankan AI News Summary.

Sri Lanka Daily News Digest — Saturday, October 31, 2026 CRICKET Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by three wickets to win the one-day tri-series final on Saturday. Opener Fakhar Zaman scored 127 despite a bruised knee and a lean run of form. GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said the government plans further tax cuts in the upcoming Budget while keeping state revenue targets intact. He also questioned the thinking behind some opposition groups' unusual protests, including inserting pins into clay figures. Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya left on October 31 for the 2026 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda. Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath met French DJ and producer DJ Snake and other visiting artists in Colombo during the two-day Senter Music Festival at Port City Colombo. LAW AND ORDER A 16-year-old boy was injured when police opened fire on a three-wheeler at Mahakade Junction, Kadawatha, on the afternoon of October 31. A man was fined Rs. 310,000 by the Kahatagasdigiliya Magistrate's Court for setting a trap gun to injure a wild elephant and possessing an unlicensed firearm, the Department of Wildlife Conservation said. The Jaffna District Deputy Inspector General of Police has ordered the Jaffna Municipal Council to immediately remove unauthorised structures at the Thileepan Memorial in Nallur. PUBLIC SERVICES The Department of Motor Traffic will bring back its online appointment booking system for services at its Narahenpita office from November 2. The Homagama Pradeshiya Sabha has started microchipping stray dogs to record their health and whereabouts. ECONOMY AND MARKETS Gold fell below $4,000 an ounce heading into the weekend, its lowest level in more than a year. Oil prices rose as supply worries grew. Concerns included a tanker attack in the Strait of Hormuz, Houthi claims of more strikes on Saudi refineries, a Ukrainian strike on a Russian refinery, and fears of military escalation in the Middle East. WORLD The United States has approved the sale of 500 Patriot missiles to Ukraine, a key munition for defence against escalating Russian aerial attacks. Large cost-of-living and public-services protests were planned across Europe over the Halloween weekend. Finnish police have opened a criminal investigation into suspected environmental law breaches over land clearance at the construction site of a planned Google data centre in northern Finland.