Sri Lankan AI News Summary.

Sri Lanka Daily News Digest — Wednesday, November 4, 2026 Fuel prices rose overnight. Lanka IOC and Sinopec raised Octane 95 petrol by Rs. 20 per litre, from Rs. 495 to Rs. 515, effective midnight. Weather and landslide alerts: The National Building Research Institute issued Level II (Amber) landslide warnings for Badulla, Kandy, Kegalle, Matale, Matara, Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura, valid from 4pm today to 4pm tomorrow. The Met Department forecasts showers above 75 mm in parts of the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Uva, North-Western and Southern provinces and Mannar. Politics and governance: Namal Rajapaksa said the public is waiting to see how many promises the President makes in his third Budget. A Frontline Socialist Party protest caused heavy traffic on Parliament Road. The Supreme Court heard petitions against the proposed Organized Crime Prevention Bill. Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya attended the Global Summit for Eye Health and the Commonwealth Leaders and CEOs' Summit in Antigua and Barbuda during CHOGM. Courts and crime: The Fort Magistrate will rule on lifting former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's overseas travel ban on November 25. The ban relates to the Easter Sunday attacks investigation. Police told court that "Batuwatte Chamara" helped plot the assassination of Ganemulla Sanjeewa. CIABOC arrested a Director (Administration and HRM) of the National Youth Services Council over an alleged Rs. 5.1 million loss to the government. A complaint was filed over Rs. 100 million allocated to a private TV channel for a tourism event. Security: The Navy intercepted a multi-day trawler suspected of carrying narcotics in international waters off the south coast. Operation Hasthi Sena in Kala Wewa North recovered firearms, ammunition and equipment allegedly used for poaching. Economy and business: The CSE rallied broadly, with ASPI above 20,500. BOC's Basel III Tier 2 debenture issue, Rs. 30 billion, was oversubscribed 3.8 times its initial Rs. 10 billion. Fitch upgraded Sri Lanka Telecom to AA+(lka) and Kotagala Plantations to B-(lka) after recalibrating its national rating scale. PUCSL holds a consultation today on NSO's request to raise electricity tariffs. The EU agreed a €10 million grant to promote sustainable trade with Sri Lanka. A Rs. 700 million waterfront project for Hamilton Canal and Negombo Lagoon was announced as a tourism development. EDB, IFC and the EU are helping 25 SMEs prepare for global markets. Sport: Harshitha Samarawickrama will captain Sri Lanka at the ICC Women's Emerging Nations Trophy in the UAE, November 12 to 25. Pavan Rathnayake climbed to 16th in the ICC men's ODI batting rankings after the Pakistan tri-series. Tarek Bluck finished 16th of 55 in the men's 50m freestyle heats at the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar. World: Cyberattacks hit supermarket chains and refrigerators at three French regional blood banks. EU officials warned of a deliberate attempt to disrupt the food supply. Seven European flights were searched after bomb threats, and no explosives were found. Spain's Transport Minister Óscar Puente resigned six days after a high-speed train collision near Urda that killed at least 69 people. Democrats won majorities in both the US House and Senate. Abdul El-Sayed became the first Muslim elected to the US Senate, winning Michigan. Trump said the US is close to a trade deal with Canada, while Carney said work remains. Zelensky awarded Melania Trump Ukraine's highest honour after the Oleshky ceasefire. The Asian Cup was postponed after attacks on Saudi Arabia. Hundreds of Bangladeshi garment factories closed after wage protests turned violent in Dhaka. Binance suffered a record $6.3bn hack. North Korea denied involvement, and Binance is covering 90% of the losses. Victorian Premier Ben Carroll met Sri Lankan community leaders in Melbourne ahead of the November 28 state election.