Sri Lankan AI News Summary.

SRI LANKA DAILY NEWS DIGEST - Sunday, October 4, 2026 GNANASARA THERA ARRESTED The Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) has arrested Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera at the Theeniyawala Aranya Senasanaya in Kalutara. POLICE AND CRIME IGP Priyantha Weerasooriya promised tougher discipline within the police force. He named organised crime, the drug problem and traffic discipline as the three biggest challenges facing Sri Lanka Police. In Kosgoda, police arrested two people after a shootout with the Walana Anti-Vice Squad in the Maha Induruwa area. In Ampara, the Women and Children's Bureau arrested a lecturer at Addalaichenai Teacher Training College. He is accused of sexually harassing female trainees by showing them pornographic videos. Police and the Urban Development Authority have also started a joint plan to set up new police posts and improve security at 24 UDA-managed housing complexes in and around Colombo. FUEL AND ENERGY The Government asked the public to use less fuel, avoid peak energy-demand hours and move to fuel-efficient vehicles, including electric vehicles, as the country shifts toward cleaner energy. Globally, the G7 agreed to release 100 million barrels of oil and diesel to bring down soaring prices, after US President Trump threatened an export ban. ECONOMY AND INFRASTRUCTURE The Central Bank's latest construction survey says a shortage of bitumen slowed road construction in August. HEALTH The GMOA warned that proposed changes to the law on dog vaccination could hurt Sri Lanka's rabies control programme. Dr Prashila Samaraweera of the National Dengue Control Unit said dengue mosquitoes breed in different places depending on the area, so control efforts need to match local conditions. IN BRIEF - Liquor outlets and wine stores across the country were closed on Saturday (October 3) for World Temperance Day, the Excise Department said. - Former Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris has set up a trust to fund legal education and research. - International: Hawaii's Holei Sea Arch, a 90-foot lava rock formation about 550 years old, has collapsed into the Pacific Ocean.