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World food prices climbed in March to their highest level since September last year and could rise further if the Middle East conflict that pushed up energy prices continues, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization said on Friday.

“Price rises since the conflict began have been modest, driven mainly by higher oil prices and cushioned by ample global cereal supplies,” FAO Chief Economist Maximo Torero said in a statement.

But if the conflict lasts over 40 days and input costs remain ⁠high, farmers may reduce inputs, plant less, or switch crops to less intensive fertiliser crops, he said.

“Those choices will hit future yields and shape our food supply and commodity prices for the rest of this year and all of the next,” he added.

The FAO Food Price Index, which measures changes in a basket of globally traded food commodities, rose by 2.4% from its revised February level. It is 1% above its value a year ago, although nearly 20% below its March 2022 peak, reached after the start of the war in Ukraine.

FERTILISER COSTS COULD LEAD TO REDUCED PLANTING

The cereal price index increased by 1.5% from the previous month, led by a 4.3% increase in international wheat ⁠prices due to worsening crop prospects in the U.S. and expectations of lower plantings in Australia due to higher fertiliser costs.

Global maize prices edged up as ample global supply offset concerns over fertiliser costs, and indirect support from greater ethanol demand prospects linked to higher energy prices.

Rice prices dropped 3.0% due to harvest timing and weaker import demand.

Vegetable oil prices increased 5.1%, marking ⁠the third consecutive monthly rise. Higher quotations for palm, soy, sunflower, and rapeseed oil reflected the impact of rising global energy prices and expectations of stronger biofuel demand.

Palm oil prices reached their highest level since mid-2022.

Sugar prices jumped 7.2% in March to ⁠their highest since October 2025, as higher crude oil prices drove expectations that Brazil, the world’s largest sugar exporter, would channel more sugarcane into producing ethanol.

Meat prices rose 1.0%, led by higher pig meat prices in the ⁠European Union and bovine meat prices in Brazil, while poultry prices edged lower.

In a separate report, the FAO slightly raised its estimate for the 2025 global cereal production forecast to a record 3.036 billion metric tons. It would be 5.8% higher year-on-year.

Source: Reuters

Pakistan’s government has raised petrol prices by 43% and high speed diesel by 55% overnight, saying it was due to increasing oil prices caused by the war in Iran.

The country’s petrol minister says the government has “limited resources and there is currently no end in sight to the war”.

Pakistan is highly dependent on imported oil and gets large quantities through the Strait of Hormuz. Recently, Pakistan said it has been able to arrange safe passage for some Pakistan flagged ships through the Strait with Iran, which has effectively closed the route.

This is the second increase in prices since the war began; petrol is now 77% more expensive and diesel 87% more than before the conflict began. There will be some subsidies for certain users. Motorcyclists will receive a subsidy of Rs100 per litre on up to 20 litres of petrol per month for the next three months.

Intercity public transport operators will get Rs100 per litre subsidy on diesel, while passenger bus services will be eligible for up to Rs100,000 per month. Farmers with smaller plots will be given a one time payment of 1,500 rupees per acre during harvest season.

For goods transport, including trucks, a monthly fuel subsidy of up to Rs70,000 will be given. 

In addition, the government will extend support to Pakistan Railways to help keep fares under control.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said the government’s ability to offer relief is limited due to financial constraints, adding that any concessions can only go to a certain extent. He added that the measures will be reviewed on a weekly basis, and adjustments will be made accordingly.

Source:adaderana.lk

They’ve never known their parents, and they’ve never known Gaza, born prematurely two years ago and evacuated to Egypt as Israeli forces drew dangerously close to their neonatal care unit.

That changed on Monday, when the 11 children, now toddlers, reunited with their families in Gaza as part of a U.N.-organized mission that brought tears of joy and celebration, as well as a close to one of the war’s most painful chapters.

The infants were among 29 preterm babies who were evacuated from the neonatal intensive care unit at Gaza’s Al Shifa hospital in November 2023, when Israeli forces raided the hospital over accusations Hamas had used it for military purposes.

With fighting raging and the border to Egypt closed, the babies were permitted to be escorted only by medics. Their parents were ⁠not allowed to go with them.

“I couldn’t touch her, I couldn’t hold my daughter during the two and a half years,” one of the children’s mothers, Sundus Al-Kurd, said as she embraced her daughter Bissan as she and others reunited with their children on Monday.

“Today is like a (new) birthday, like a new beginning, and I will make up for everything my daughter was deprived of, God willing,” she said.

‘WITH TIME, THE LITTLE GIRL WILL KNOW US’

Like many of the others, Al-Kurd’s daughter Bissan was transported from Gaza to Egypt two years ago in an incubator, a journey doctors said had seriously threatened her life.

Seven of the 29 infants evacuated died while in Egypt, doctors said. Beyond the 11 who returned to Gaza, the remaining children were with family outside of the Palestinian territory, the doctors said.

Al-Kurd said she was afraid Bissan, dressed in white with a unicorn bow in her hair, wouldn’t recognize her. She brought Bissan snacks and a green balloon to try to ⁠get her to smile and feel comfortable.

“She still doesn’t know who her mother is, who her father is, who her family is. So, we’re trying with her little by little, and hopefully, things will improve with time, the girl will know us,” Al-Kurd said.

Bissan has two living siblings. A sister, Habiba, was killed the day Bissan was born.

An Israeli airstrike hit their family home in Gaza’s Beit Lahiya town in October 2023, killing her and nine other members of their family. Al-Kurd, who was eight months pregnant, was wounded ⁠and doctors had to perform a cesarean delivery to save Bissan’s life.

The family now lives in a tent encampment in Gaza City.

“She (Bissan) will compensate for the loss of her sister and everyone I lost,” said the mother.

HOSPITALS, NEONATAL UNITS DESTROYED DURING WAR

The mission to reunite the children with their parents was enabled by a U.S.-brokered deal last October that brought a ⁠halt to most fighting and later saw Israel reopen Gaza’s sole border crossing with Egypt.

During the two-year war, Israel regularly accused Hamas and other militants of using hospitals to store weapons and obscure tunnels and fighters. It has published photos and video that it says shows tunnels dug below hospitals. The groups deny this.

Israel’s ⁠attacks destroyed and damaged medical facilities and neonatal units across Gaza. Facilities for newborn babies, particularly those with health issues, are sorely needed, said Mohamed Abu Selmia, director of Al Shifa Hospital.

“There is also a shortage of essential medications for premature infants, specialized infant formula, and respiratory support medications,” he added.

Around 52% of basic medicines are unavailable in Gaza, while 75% of medical supplies are unavailable, said Abu Selmia.

Source:adaderana.lk

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has appointed former Netherlands coach Ryan van Niekerk as the National Bowling Coach and Jordan Gregory as the National Fielding and Spin Bowling Coach at the SLC’s National High Performance Centre. 

Both coaches will oversee their respective disciplines across all national teams, including the men’s team, according to a statement issued by SLC.

Ryan van Niekerk – National Bowling Coach 

Ryan van Niekerk, who served as the bowling coach and interim head coach of the Netherlands national team from 2023 to 2026, was appointed as the national bowling coach of Sri Lanka Cricket. 

In this role, he will oversee fast bowling across all national teams, including the national men’s team. 

Before taking over the interim role, he worked as the assistant coach and bowling coach of the Netherlands national men’s team. 

During his stint with the Netherlands team, Ryan has contributed to the team’s participation in major international tournaments such as the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, and ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. 

He was appointed for a two-year tenure, commencing on 15th April 2026, the SLC statement said. 

Jordan Gregory – National Fielding and Spin Bowling Coach 

Jordan Gregory, who has worked as a fielding consultant for Netherlands Cricket, was appointed as the national fielding and spin bowling coach. 

He will be responsible for overseeing fielding and spin bowling across all national teams at the High Performance Center, including the national men’s team. 

During his time with Netherlands Cricket, Gregory has contributed to several bilateral and multinational tournaments, including the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2023. 

Jordan will begin his two-year tenure on 15th April 2026, it said.

(Adaderana.lk)

Sports authorities in Ukraine asked the International Olympic Committee on Wednesday to examine the “neutral” status of Russian athletes they accused of having links to the military or competing in events that violated Olympic sanctions.

The IOC allowed a limited number of athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics and the 2026 Milan Winter Games with no flags or anthems, subject to vetting.

This included stipulations that athletes not be linked to the military or have supported Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

An appeal signed by ⁠Ukrainian Sports Minister Matvii Bidny and National Olympic Committee head Vadym Guttsait said they had compiled evidence that some athletes had flouted recommendations established by the IOC in 2023 - more than a year after Russia’s full-scale invasion.
The appeal cited in particular “systematic violations” in sports climbing and its governing federation, the IFSC.

“The Ukrainian side has provided evidence of direct links between a number of athletes and the military structures of the aggressor state,” the statement said.

It cited several athletes the officials alleged had links with ⁠the military, supported the invasion or had trained in Crimea, seized and annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014.

It also said an international competition was held in Moscow last November under the auspices of the CISM (International Military Sports Council) in violation of IOC rules.

“This confirms the ⁠involvement of Russian military structures in the international sports movement with the aim of legitimising Russia’s aggressive policy,” the appeal said.

“The Ukrainian side calls on the leadership of the IOC and ⁠the IFSC to conduct a comprehensive review of these facts and to suspend the individuals in question from international competitions.”

Some sports bodies have eased restrictions on Russian ⁠and Belarusian athletes. The International Paralympic Committee allowed athletes from the two countries to compete at the recent games in Italy with anthems and flags, drawing protests from Ukraine and other countries.

Source: Reuters

The United Kingdom has convened foreign ministers from 40 nations to deliberate on strategies for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial maritime artery currently obstructed by the ongoing conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran. 

According to Al Jazeera, the high-level meeting addressed the “vital shipping route” that has been severely impacted by the regional war.

During the virtual summit on Thursday, UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper criticised what she termed as Iran’s “recklessness” in blockading the passage, asserting that the disruption was “hitting our global economic security.” Cooper’s opening remarks, which were broadcast to the media before the session transitioned to a closed-door format, accused Tehran of using the waterway as leverage. “We have seen Iran hijack an international shipping route to hold the global economy hostage,” she stated.

The impact of the blockade has been profound, as retaliatory strikes on merchant vessels and the ongoing “threat of more” have effectively “halted nearly all traffic” through the strait. Al Jazeera noted that this closure of the path connecting the Gulf to the world’s oceans has triggered a sharp rise in “petroleum prices” and interrupted the global “flow of oil.”

Notably, the United States was absent from the proceedings. This follows declarations from US President Donald Trump that “securing the waterway” is not the responsibility of his administration. The US President has also directed criticism toward European allies for their lack of “support for the war” and has frequently “renewed his threats” regarding a potential withdrawal from NATO.

Despite the American absence, a diverse group of nations, including France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates, participated in the summit. These countries issued a joint statement demanding an end to attempts to “block the strait” and committed to “contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage” for international shipping.

Al Jazeera reported that while the coalition is broad, including Baltic, Scandinavian, and Middle Eastern nations like Bahrain and the UAE, significant questions remain regarding “naval capacity” and what these nations can practically achieve. There appears to be little appetite for a military solution to “open the strait by force” while active hostilities continue, especially given Iran’s ability to “target vessels” using “ballistic missiles,” drones, and “attack craft.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has reportedly been “very explicit” about pursuing “non-military solutions,” making it clear he has “no interest in getting involved in this war.” Following this week’s summit, military planners from the British Ministry of Defence are scheduled to meet with international partners next week to discuss long-term “security for shipping” once the conflict concludes.

Starmer previously acknowledged that “resuming shipping” would be a complex challenge requiring a “united front of military strength and diplomatic activity.” Al Jazeera highlighted that this coalition serves, in part, as a signal to the Trump administration that Europe is prepared to “do more for its own security” amidst concerns over the future of the NATO alliance.

Adding to the diplomatic caution, French President Emmanuel Macron dismissed the idea of a military operation as “unrealistic.” He argued that such a move would “take forever” and leave vessels vulnerable to “coastal threats” from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Macron has instead proposed that “talking directly to Iran” remains the most viable path to reopening the waterway.

According to data from Lloyd’s List Intelligence, the human and economic cost has been high, with 23 “direct attacks on commercial vessels” recorded since the war was “ignited on February 28,” resulting in the deaths of 11 “crew members.” For its part, Tehran maintains that “non-hostile” ships are permitted transit, claiming the “key waterway” is restricted only to “vessels of enemy countries” and their supporters. 

Source:adaderana.lk

Scientists and designers unveiled on Thursday a handbag made with collagen derived from Tyrannosaurus rex fossils from the U.S. in a unique creation intended to demonstrate the value of laboratory-grown leather.

The teal-coloured bag will be displayed on a rock in a cage under a replica of a T. rex at Amsterdam’s Art Zoo museum until May 11 after which it will be auctioned, with a reported starting price of more than half a million dollars.

Scientists behind the initiative said the material was ⁠developed using ancient protein fragments extracted from dinosaur remains that were inserted into an unidentified animal’s cell to produce collagen that was turned into leather.

“There were a lot of technical challenges,” said Thomas Mitchell, CEO of The Organoid Company, one of three companies behind the so-called “T. rex leather” bag.

Genomic engineering firm Organoid and creative agency VML, another of the firms behind the project, previously collaborated on creating a giant meatball in 2023 by combining the DNA of a woolly mammoth with sheep cells.

Che Connon, CEO of Lab‑Grown Leather Ltd. that worked on producing the leather for the handbag from the engineered collagen, said the T. Rex ⁠origin gave it extra “oomph”.

“It’s not just about a green alternative to leather, it’s a technological upgrade,” Connon said of lab-grown leather.

SCEPTICISM

Some scientists outside the project have expressed scepticism about the term “T. rex leather”, saying material from other animals would be needed.

Dutch vertebrate paleontologist Melanie During, of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, said collagen can persist in dinosaur bones ⁠only as fragmented traces that cannot be used to recreate T. rex skin or leather.

Thomas R. Holtz Jr., a paleontologist at the University of Maryland, similarly said any collagen identified in T. rex fossils comes from inside bone, not ⁠skin, and that even perfectly matching proteins would lack the larger‑scale fibre organization that gives animal leather its distinctive properties.

“I would say that when you do something new for the first time, there is ⁠always criticism,” Mitchell said in response.

“And I think we’re really grateful for that criticism. It’s the bedrock of scientific exploration ... I think this is the closest anyone has gotten and will probably ever get to create something that’s T. rex.”

Source: Reuters

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday fired the US Army chief of staff and two other generals as the Iran war continues.

Hegseth told US Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George to retire immediately, a Pentagon official told CNN. He also fired two other Army generals Thursday, a US official said, the chief of chaplains, Maj. Gen. William Green Jr., and the commander of Army Transformation and Training Command, Gen. David Hodne.

Hegseth’s move comes a day after President Donald Trump’s address to the nation on the Iran war. In the speech, Trump signalled the US will intensify strikes on Iran, after earlier suggesting the US could be done with the war within two to three weeks.

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed George’s departure Thursday, writing on X, “General Randy A. George will be retiring from his position as the 41st Chief of Staff of the Army effective immediately. The Department of War is grateful for General George’s decades of service to our nation.”

Senior Army leadership was caught off guard by Thursday’s abrupt announcement, the US official told CNN — learning of George’s forced departure along with the rest of the Defense Department, when it was announced publicly.

George found out in a phone call from Hegseth on Thursday while he was in a meeting, a second US official said. He later spoke to his staff in person about the announcement, and his staff was “very stoic” when receiving the news, the official said.

As the Army chief, George has worked closely with Army Secretary Dan Driscoll — a senior official close to the White House whom Hegseth has perceived as a threat and at times had a contentious relationship with.

The abrupt and public nature of George’s immediate retirement, the first US official said, left little room for officials to argue against removing one of the joint chiefs amid ongoing conflict with Iran — particularly as the Army, under George, is deploying forces and is primarily responsible for providing crucial integrated air and missile defense capabilities to the joint force.

In his role as chief, George provided advice and guidance to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine and Hegseth regarding those capabilities.

“It doesn’t feel like a very thought-out decision,” the first US official said.

CBS News first reported George’s ousting.

George, a career infantry officer, commissioned out of the US Military Academy at West Point in 1988. He has served as the chief of staff since September 2023; he previously commanded I Corps at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and went on to serve as the senior military assistant to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin during the Biden administration.

While the job of senior military assistant to the defense secretary is often one considered to be apolitical and a role given to the best of the best of military officers, George’s proximity to Austin has been considered a mark against him to Hegseth and his circle.

There was speculation among military and Pentagon officials when Hegseth nominated his senior military assistant, Gen. Chris LaNeve, to be the Army vice chief of staff, that he would ultimately take over for George. As the vice chief, LaNeve will likely step in as the acting chief of staff in George’s absence.

Before working for Hegseth, LaNeve — who has served since 1990 after commissioning from the University of Arizona ROTC — was the commanding general of 8th Army in South Korea, after a brief tenure as commander of the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Commanding the 82nd Airborne Division is typically a two-year job, though LaNeve left the role less than two years in and moved to be a special assistant to the commander of US Army Forces Command, before moving to South Korea, according to his official biography.

LaNeve got Trump’s attention in the hours after his inauguration, when LaNeve called into the Commander in Chief’s Ball with his troops from South Korea.

“Sir, on behalf of the brave men and women who serve under my command and the thousands of dedicated service members that are part of the joint team in Korea, congratulations on your victory as the 47th President of the United States,” LaNeve said on a video call. “Welcome back, Mr. President.”

Trump praised LaNeve, saying, “Is this man central casting or what?”

“They’re not going to play games with you. That’s good,” Trump added, according to an official transcript of the event. “I like to see that. Nobody is playing games with that man.”

 (Source:Newswire)

Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing was elected president on Friday after breezing through a parliamentary vote, formalising his grip on political power in the war-torn nation five years after he ousted an elected government in a coup.

His carefully choreographed journey from top general to civilian president follows a lopsided election in December and January that was won in a landslide by an army-backed party and derided by critics and Western governments as a sham to perpetuate military rule behind a veneer of democracy.

The 69-year-old general has had a torrid time in power since he toppled the administration of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021 and put her under arrest, sparking widespread protests that morphed into nationwide armed resistance against the junta.

On Friday, lawmakers from the dominant Union Solidarity and Development Party and the military’s quota ⁠of appointed armed forces legislators coalesced to back Min Aung Hlaing, with the former commander-in-chief winning the vote by a huge margin.

Despite initially trailing to Nyo Saw, a retired general and the junta’s prime minister, Min Aung Hlaing pulled ahead to win 429 votes to Nyo Saw’s 126.

‘DREAMS BECOMING REALITY’

Min Aung Hlaing’s ascent to the presidency - a position that analysts say he has long sought - followed a major reshuffle in the leadership of Myanmar’s armed forces, which he had led since 2011.

On Monday, as he was nominated as a presidential candidate, he anointed Ye Win Oo, a former intelligence chief seen as a fierce loyalist, as his successor to lead the military.

Min Aung Hlaing’s rise to the presidency is seen by analysts as an attempt to consolidate his power as head of a nominally civilian government and seek international legitimacy, while protecting the interests of a military that has run the country directly for five of the past six decades.

‘‘He has long harboured the ambition to trade his title of commander-in-chief for president and it appears his dreams are now becoming a reality,’‘ said Aung Kyaw Soe, an independent Myanmar ⁠analyst.

It was not clear if Min Aung Hlaing attended the vote and he was not seen during a broadcast of the proceedings on state television.

China, a longtime ally of Myanmar’s generals, extended its congratulations and said it would support the new government in maintaining peace and stability.

CIVIL WAR RAGES ON

The civil war that has wrecked Myanmar and its economy for much of the last five years is still raging, with the military under Min Aung Hlaing’s command accused by human rights groups and United Nations experts of atrocities against the civilian population, which the junta has denied.

The prosecutor of the International ⁠Criminal Court in 2024 sought an arrest warrant for Min Aung Hlaing over the alleged persecution of the minority Muslim Rohingya, after more than a million fled to neighbouring Bangladesh to escape a military crackdown in 2017.

‘‘He may exchange his military fatigues for civilian attire, but this changes nothing with respect to his suspected responsibility for serious crimes under international law,’‘ Amnesty International said.

‘‘For the many Myanmar people ⁠who have been victims of Min Aung Hlaing’s violently unfettered military ... seeing their oppressor formally elevated instead of prosecuted will be deeply painful."

Some anti-junta groups, including those comprising remnants of Suu Kyi’s party and longstanding ethnic minority armies, this week formed a new combined front to take on the military.

The Steering Council for the Emergence of a Federal Democratic Union said ⁠its objectives were to ‘‘completely dismantle all forms of dictatorship’‘ and initiate ‘‘a new political landscape."

But resistance groups could face intensified military pressure, economic challenges and increased scrutiny from neighbouring countries that may seek to bolster their relationship with Min Aung Hlaing’s new administration, some analysts say.

‘‘It may become even harder to build mutual understanding and trust between groups, reach firmer agreements, and sustain cooperation,’‘ analyst Sai Kyi Zin Soe said of the opposition.

Source: adaderana.lk

The National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) has stated that water supply interruptions will continue in several areas of the Colombo District today (April 3) due to reduced reservoir levels caused by prevailing dry weather.

According to a statement issued yesterday (02), areas including Padukka, Homagama, Palanwatta, and Pannipitiya will experience water cuts, as these areas depend on supplies from the Kalatuwawa Reservoir and Labugama Reservoir.

The water suspension in Padukka began at 8:00 p.m. yesterday and is scheduled to continue until 8:00 p.m. today (April 3). Meanwhile, a 24-hour water cut will be imposed in Homagama from 8:00 p.m. today until 8:00 p.m. tomorrow (April 4).

Subsequently, Palanwatta will face a water interruption from 8:00 p.m. on April 4 until 8:00 p.m. on April 5.

The NWSDB further noted that these interruptions will be implemented once every three days under a rotational system. However, uninterrupted water supply will be maintained on days when cuts are not scheduled.

Under this system, the next scheduled water cuts will take place on April 7 in Padukka, April 8 in Homagama, and April 9 in Palanwatta.