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The National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) has announced a series of water supply interruptions affecting several المناطق, as dry weather conditions continue to strain reservoir levels.

Water supply to Pelanwatta and surrounding areas will be suspended from 8:00 p.m. today (06) until 8:00 a.m. tomorrow (07), as part of ongoing water management measures.

According to the NWSDB, water production has been restricted due to rapidly declining levels in the reservoirs supplying the Labugama Water Treatment Plant and Kalatuwawa Water Treatment Plant.

Meanwhile, a 12-hour water cut is scheduled for Homagama and surrounding areas (Zone 01) today (06), beginning at 8:00 a.m. and continuing until 8:00 p.m.

The Board also clarified that the current water cut affecting Padukka and nearby areas is set to conclude at 8:00 a.m. today, ahead of the planned interruption in Homagama.

Authorities urge residents to use water sparingly as efforts continue to manage limited supplies amid the prevailing dry conditions.

In his Easter message, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has highlighted that Christian devotees in Sri Lanka and around the world mark Easter Sunday with deep reverence, commemorating the Resurrection of Christ as a symbol of hope, renewal, and compassion. 

He noted that beyond its religious significance, Easter also serves as a cultural moment that encourages reflection on humanity, love, and resilience, while emphasizing Christ’s triumph over death as a reminder that light can overcome darkness and faith can overcome fear.

The President further observed that, at a time when many across the world continue to suffer due to ongoing conflicts, there is a growing desire for peace and coexistence instead of hostility. 

He expressed hope that the spirit of Easter would illuminate the path toward peace and urged people to embrace the values taught by Christ, including love, patience, and forgiveness.

He also called on Sri Lankans to set aside divisions and move forward in unity as one family, strengthening brotherhood and goodwill. 

President’s Full Easter Message:

“Commemorating the Resurrection of Christ, Christian devotees in Sri Lanka and around the world celebrate Easter Sunday with deep reverence and devotion. It is a reminder of the enduring power of hope, renewal and compassion.
Beyond being a religious observance, Easter is also a cultural celebration for Christians that invites reflection on humanity, love and resilience. Through His Resurrection, having triumphed over death, Christ demonstrated to the world through His life that with steadfast determination and dedication, darkness can be overcome by light, fear by faith, and suffering by everlasting joy. The people who rose in unity for Jesus, who sacrificed His life for them, conveyed to the world a message of unity and goodwill.

At this moment, we cannot forget that people across the world continue to endure great suffering due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Instead of wars driven by hostility, people everywhere yearn for peace and coexistence. On this sacred Easter dawn, I pray that the path towards peace may be illuminated.

As taught by Christ, let us fill our hearts with love, patience and the noble virtue of forgiveness. Let us cast aside divisions and move forward together, bound in unity as children of one mother, as one Sri Lankan family. Let us join hands in brotherhood to achieve this.

On this sacred Easter Day, which commemorates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, who sacrificed His life for the salvation of those in distress and overcame the darkness of death following His crucifixion, I extend my heartfelt wishes to all Christian devotees in Sri Lanka and around the world.

May you all be blessed with a joyful Easter filled with compassion and peace!”

(Adaderana.lk)

Oil prices hit $110 (£83.38) a barrel after President Donald Trump’s expletive-laden threat against Iran on social media.

The price of Brent rose initially by 1.6% to $110.85, before retreating slightly during morning trade in Asia.

US-traded crude gained slightly by 0.3% to $111.80.

The initial jump came after Trump put more pressure on Tehran by threatening to strike Iran’s bridges and power plants if Iran did not back down on its threat against ships that try to cross the critical Strait of Hormuz trade waterway.

Major Asian stock markets also edged higher. Japan’s Nikkei 225 exchange rose by 1.6% while South Korea’s Kospi index gained by 0.9%.

Source: BBC

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday (local time) that ‘‘many’‘ of Iran’s military leaders were killed in a huge strike on the Islamic republic’s capital.

‘‘Many of Iran’s Military Leaders, who have led them poorly and unwisely, are terminated, along with much else, with this massive strike in Tehran!’‘ Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
The post included a video showing explosions lighting up a city’s skyline at night but did not specify when the military action took place.

The war erupted more than a month ago with US-Israeli strikes on Iran, triggering a retaliation that has spread the conflict throughout the Middle East and convulsed the global economy.

Source: AFP 

A U.S. service member who has been missing since Iran shot down a fighter jet has been rescued, President Donald Trump wrote in a social media post early Sunday.

A frantic U.S. search-and-rescue operation unfolded after the crash of the F-15E Strike Eaglejet on Friday, as Iran also promised a reward for anyone who turned in the ‘‘enemy pilot.’’

A second crew member was rescued earlier.

Trump wrote that the aviator is injured but ‘‘will be just fine,’’ adding that he took refuge ‘‘in the treacherous mountains of Iran.’’

Trump added that the rescue involved ‘‘dozens of aircraft’’ and that U.S. had been monitoring his location ‘‘24 hours a day, and diligently planning for his rescue.’’

The fighter jet was the first U.S. aircraft to have crashed in Iranian territory since the conflict in late February, focusing on a mountainous region in Iran’s southwestern province of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad.

Trump said last week that the U.S. had ‘‘decimated’’ Iran and would finish the war ‘‘very fast.’’ Two days later, Iran shot down two U.S. military planes, showing the ongoing perils of the bombing campaign and the ability of a degraded Iranian military to continue to hit back.

The war began with joint U.S.-Israel strikes on Feb. 28 and has killed thousands, shaken global markets, cut off key shipping routes and spiked fuel prices. Both sides have threatened, and hit, civilian targets, bringing warnings of possible war crimes.

The other jet to go down was a U.S. A-10 attack aircraft. Neither the status of the crew nor exactly where it crashed was immediately known.

Iran’s joint military command on Saturday said that it also struck two U.S. Black Hawk helicopters Friday, but The Associated Press couldn’t independently verify that.

Trump renews threat

Trump renewed his threats for Iran to open up the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway for global energy shipments that has been choked off by Tehran, by Monday or face devastating consequences, writing Saturday in a social media post: ‘‘Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT. Time is running out — 48 hours before all Hell will reign down on them.’’

‘‘The doors of hell will be opened to you’’ if Iran’s infrastructure is attacked, Gen. Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi with the country’s joint military command said late Saturday in response to Trump’s renewed threat, state media reported. In turn, the general threatened all infrastructure used by the U.S. military in the region.

But Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Tahir Andrabi, told The Associated Press that his government’s efforts to broker a ceasefire are ‘‘right on track’’ after Islamabad last week said that it would soon host talks between the U.S. and Iran.

Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said that Iranian officials ‘‘have never refused to go to Islamabad.’’

Mediators from Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt were working to bring the U.S. and Iran to the negotiating table, according to two regional officials.

The proposed compromise includes a cessation of hostilities to allow a diplomatic settlement, according to a regional official involved in the efforts and a Gulf diplomat briefed on the matter. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss closed-door diplomacy.

A second U.S. Air Force combat aircraft went down in the Middle East on Friday, according to a U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive military situation. It wasn’t clear if the aircraft crashed or was shot down, or whether Iran was involved.

Iranian state media said a U.S. A-10 attack aircraft crashed in the Persian Gulf after being struck by Iran’s defense forces.

The Bab el-Mandeb Strait

Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, issued a veiled threat late Friday to disrupt traffic through a second strategic waterway in the region, the Bab el-Mandeb.

The strait, 32 kilometers (20 miles) wide, links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. More than a tenth of seaborne global oil and a quarter of container ships pass through it.

‘‘Which countries and companies account for the highest transit volumes through the strait?’’ Qalibaf wrote.

More than 1,900 people have been killed in Iran since the war began.

In Gulf Arab states and the occupied West Bank, more than two dozen people have died, while 19 have been reported dead in Israel and 13 U.S. service members have been killed. 

In Lebanon, more than 1,400 people have been killed and more than 1 million people have been displaced. Ten Israeli soldiers have died there.

Source: AP

A fire broke out early this morning (06) at a wax fabric manufacturing factory in Mabola, prompting a swift emergency response.

According to officials, the blaze led to the immediate deployment of three fire trucks and 13 personnel from the Colombo Fire Brigade, who worked to contain the situation.

Authorities later confirmed that the fire has been successfully brought under control. Further details regarding the cause of the fire or any potential damage have not yet been disclosed.

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

The UAE on Monday expressed its support to Bahrain in urging the Security Council to take action on the Strait of Hormuz.

Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, Minister of Foreign Affairs emphasized that this is no longer a regional issue--it is a direct threat to global stability.

In a post on X, the UAE Mission to the UN said, ‘‘The UAE joins Bahrain in urging Security Council action on the Strait of Hormuz. As H.E. Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, Minister of Foreign Affairs emphasizes, this is no longer a regional issue--it is a direct threat to global stability, food and energy security, and international law. Each day without action brings the world closer to a broader crisis, with Global South countries facing the gravest consequences. We thank Bahrain for its leadership on the Security Council and for its diplomatic efforts in bringing this resolution forward."

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bahrain said in a post on X, ‘‘Foreign Minister: Strait of Hormuz crisis requires urgent international action to avoid serious humanitarian and economic repercussions."

The United Nations Security Council is scheduled to vote on Friday (local time) on a draft resolution proposed by Bahrain that seeks to authorise member states to use ‘‘all defensive means necessary’‘ to ensure safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz amid the conflict in West Asia, CNN reported.

The proposal comes amid rising tensions over maritime security amid the conflict in West Asia, which has seen severe disruption in energy trade due to the virtual blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global energy trade.

Bahrain, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council and has been under fire from Iran amid the conflict, urged an international response to threats against global navigation routes.

‘‘The Kingdom of Bahrain submitted a draft resolution to your esteemed council on Iran’s unlawful and unjustified attempt to control international navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, placing before the council a draft that requires a decisive response to such actions that are irresponsible and illegitimate. Actions that threaten the interests of nations and peoples around the world,’‘ said Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, the Foreign Minister of Bahrain, during his remarks at the UNSC meeting on Thursday (local time). 

Source: ANI