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Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has called for a comprehensive nationwide drive to restore infrastructure and address the destruction caused by ‘‘unprovoked American-Zionist aggression,’’ state broadcaster Press TV reported.

The Leader’s appeal was part of a broader message issued on Wednesday to mark Islamic Republic Day and National Nature Day. He stressed that national efforts must now focus on ensuring the country’s continued prosperity in the wake of the recent conflict.

According to Press TV, the Supreme Leader, who is the son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, noted that the recent external hostilities had not only impacted the population but had specifically ‘‘targeted its land and natural environment.’’ He condemned the actions of the opposition, stating that at a time when the ‘‘vile and ruthless American and Zionist enemy knows no human, moral, or existential limits in its savagery,’’ the nation must remain focused on internal growth.

The Leader further observed that the enemy ‘‘has even attacked and damaged the natural and environmental spaces of our beloved homeland.’’ Consequently, he asserted that ‘‘every effort aimed at expanding development and building Iran’s bright future is both worthy and necessary.’’

Reflecting on the resilience of the public, the Supreme Leader described the nation as having maintained a spirit of ‘‘steadfastness and dignity’’ throughout the recent spring commemorations. Press TV noted his remarks that the ‘‘heroic nation of Iran has intertwined this year’s Nowruz with epic resolve and honour,’’ despite the ongoing regional pressures.

A significant portion of the address was dedicated to those who lost their lives during the hostilities that commenced on 28 February. As reported by Press TV, the Leader highlighted a specific strike on a girls’ school in the southern city of Minab, which resulted in 186 fatalities.

Referring to the young victims of the school attack, he stated that ‘‘the child-killing, monstrous American and Zionist fiends brutally martyred the young saplings of the school.’’ In light of these events, he urged citizens in both urban and rural areas to participate in a coordinated tree-planting initiative.

The Supreme Leader stated that the Iranian people are ‘‘planting the sapling of hope across its land’’ as a tribute to those lost in the ‘‘ongoing war.’’ He expressed confidence that, through these efforts, ‘‘each of these saplings may, in the years ahead, grow into a blessed tree and a fruitful one,’’ according to Press TV. 

Source:adaderana.lk

The Sri Lanka rupee had depreciated by 1.6 per cent against the US dollar in 2026, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) has confirmed.

According to the CBSL, the buying rate of the US dollar was Rs. 311.76 while the selling rate stood at Rs. 319.31 at the end of trading yesterday (31).

The Central Bank noted that the depreciation of the Sri Lanka rupee against the US dollar is a reflection on the emergence of external sector pressures following the commencement of the Middle East conflict in late Feb 2026.

Meanwhile, the external current account recorded a surplus in February 2026, extending the trend observed since November 2025, and recorded a cumulative surplus of US$ 487 million during January–February 2026, the CBSL said.

According to the External Sector Performance - February 2026 report published by the Central Bank, the merchandise trade deficit widened on a year-on-year basis in February 2026. Further, during January-February 2026, the trade deficit widened to US$ 1.4 billion compared to US$ 1.1 billion in the corresponding period of 2025.

Vehicle imports, including both personal and commercial vehicles, amounted to US$ 194 million in February 2026, bringing cumulative vehicle imports to US$ 418 million during January-February 2026.

Meanwhile, gross official reserves (GOR), including the swap facility with the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), increased to US$ 7.3 billion at end February 2026. This was mainly driven by higher foreign exchange purchases by the Central Bank, despite continued external debt service payments, the CBSL added further.

(Adaderana.lk)

Four astronauts blasted off from Florida on Wednesday (Apr 1) on NASA’s Artemis II mission, a high-stakes 10-day trip around the moon that marks the United States’ boldest step yet toward returning humans to the lunar surface this decade before China’s first crewed landing.

NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, topped with its Orion crew capsule, roared to life just before sunset at 10.35pm GMT (4.05am, Thursday, Sri Lanka time) at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center to lift its first crew of three US astronauts and a Canadian astronaut off Earth, a thunderous ascent leaving behind a towering column of thick white vapour.

The Artemis II crew of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen are poised for a nearly 10-day expedition around the moon and back, taking them deeper into space than humans have ever gone.

“This is Jeremy, we are going for all humanity,” Hansen, strapped inside Orion, told launch control minutes before liftoff.

“Reid, Victor, Christina and Jeremy, on this historic mission you take with you the heart of this Artemis team, the daring spirit of the American people and our partners across the globe, and the hopes and dreams of a new generation,” launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson told the crew through a communications line from launch control.

“Good luck, godspeed, Artemis II. Let’s go,” she added.

After nearly three years of training, they are the first group to fly in NASA’s Artemis program, a multibillion-dollar series of missions created in 2017 to build up a long-term US presence on the moon over the next decade and beyond.

The launch was a major milestone more than a decade in the making for the US space agency’s SLS rocket, handing its core contractors Boeing and Northrop Grumman long-sought validation that the 30-story-tall system can safely loft humans into space, as NASA increasingly relies on newer, cheaper rockets from Elon Musk’s SpaceX and others.

The crew’s gumdrop-shaped Orion capsule, built for NASA by Lockheed Martin, will separate from the SLS upper stage three-and-a-half hours into flight in Earth’s orbit. The crew will then take manual control of Orion to test its steering and manoeuvrability around the detached upper stage, attempting the first of dozens of test objectives planned throughout the mission.

The Artemis II mission is a key early step in the flagship US moon program, which is targeting its first crewed landing on the lunar surface in 2028 in the Artemis IV mission.

NASA is pressed to achieve that lunar landing - its first since the final Apollo mission in 1972 - as China expands its own lunar program with a planned astronaut landing as soon as 2030.

FARTHEST TRIP IN HISTORY

The Artemis II mission will send the crew some 406,000km into space - the farthest humans have ever travelled.

The current record for the farthest spaceflight at roughly 399,117km is held by the three-man crew of the Apollo 13 lunar mission in 1970, which was beset by technical problems after an oxygen tank exploded and was unable to land on the moon as planned.

NASA launched its first Artemis mission without crew in 2022, sending the Orion spacecraft on a similar path around the moon and back.

Artemis II will pose a greater test of Orion and the SLS rocket. Boeing and Northrop Grumman have led the development of SLS since 2010, a program partly known for its ballooning costs at an estimated US$2 billion to US$4 billion per launch.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin are racing to develop the landers that NASA will use to put its astronauts on the lunar surface.

Artemis III had been set to be the agency’s first astronaut moon landing, but new NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman in February added an extra test mission before the landing.

Source: adaderana.lk

French senators vote on Tuesday on a draft law that aims to ban social media access for children under the age of 15, joining countries around the world in considering a move unpopular with many teenagers but supported by some parents and teachers.

President Emmanuel Macron wants the law in place in time for the start of the next academic year, in September. If adopted, France would follow Australia, whose world-first ban for under-16s on platforms including Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube came into force in December.

Countries across Europe and beyond are considering ways to restrict social media after becoming increasingly aware of the risks to children.

Last ⁠week a jury in Los Angeles found Meta and Alphabet’s Google negligent for designing social media platforms that are harmful to young people and found them liable for damages in a case that could serve as a bellwether for others.

“The idea is to be able to require platforms to implement age verification that is reliable, robust, and protective of personal data,” said French lawmaker Laure Miller, who drafted the bill.

“It’s clear that young people have access to smartphones at increasingly younger ages,” she said. “This has a significant impact on their development, both personally and cognitively,” she added, arguing that governments must regulate this and ⁠not leave it in the hands of social media giants.

Miller’s and Macron’s plans may face a hurdle in the Senate.

While the legislation was adopted in the lower house of parliament as a blanket ban, senators amended the text at committee level, saying they want to block access only for platforms that are considered harmful for ⁠children. Others could be accessed with parental approval. The list of harmful social media would be defined later by decree.

If the Senate as a whole supports that amendment, that could lead to back-and-forth between the two chambers, although ⁠the lower house has the final word.

French school pupil Louis Szponik, 15, does not agree with a social media ban. Though he says apps like TikTok can lead to procrastination, he feels strongly that ⁠social media can cultivate cohesion and expression.

“It’s true that our generation is often caricatured like that, as the younger generation, always on our phones,” he said. But social media can “have a positive side, which is being able to communicate with friends.”

Source: Reuters

India will, on Wednesday (April 1, 2026), begin the first phase of its Census 2027, marking the start of what is set to be the world’s largest population exercise and the first to be conducted digitally.

The exercise signals a major shift in how data will be collected, with officials using mobile apps and citizens also getting a chance to fill in their own details online. It is the country’s 16th Census and the eighth since independence, but the scale and method this time make it markedly different.

How the Census will be conducted in two phases

The Census will take place in two stages. The first phase, known as the House Listing and Housing Census, will run from April to September 2026. During this period, officials will visit homes to get a basic picture of everyday living. They will note the condition of houses, what facilities families have, and the kind of assets they own.

States and Union Territories will carry out this exercise over a 30-day window, based on their convenience. A 15-day self-enumeration period will precede this, allowing households to submit details on their own before officials begin door-to-door visits.

The second phase, Population Enumeration, is scheduled for February 2027. In certain regions such as Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir’s snow-bound areas, and parts of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, this phase will take place earlier, in September 2026.

After that, the exercise moves from homes to people. In the second stage, enumerators will gather detailed information about individuals, including their age, education, work, migration history, family details and overall socio-economic background. The government has also decided that caste details will be recorded during this phase.

State-wise rollout and key dates

The rollout will not be the same everywhere. Some regions, including Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Delhi (NDMC and Cantonment areas), Goa, Karnataka, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Odisha and Sikkim, will carry out houselisting between April 16 and May 15. Before that, residents in these areas can fill in their details on their own between April 1 and April 15.

Another set of states, including Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, and Haryana, will begin houselisting from May 1 to May 30, with self-enumeration scheduled from April 16 to April 30.

The reference date for Census 2027 has been fixed as midnight of March 1, 2027. For snow-bound and non-synchronous areas, it will be October 1, 2026.

Digital-first Census with multilingual access

For the first time, enumerators will use smartphones to collect and upload data directly through a mobile application. Alongside this, a dedicated online portal will allow people to complete self-enumeration in both phases.

The digital system will be available in 16 languages, including Hindi and English, making it easier for people across the country to take part without language being a hurdle.

The Union government has approved a budget of ₹11,718.24 crore for the exercise. 

Source: Statesman

The Sri Lankan rupee has depreciated further against the US dollar across commercial banks in Sri Lanka today (31), compared to Monday, with the selling rate steady at Rs. 318.

According to Seylan Bank, the buying and selling rates of the US dollar have increased from Rs. 311.40 to Rs. 312 and from Rs. 317.50 to Rs. 317.25, respectively.

At NDB Bank, the buying rate and selling rates of the US dollar have increased from Rs. 311.75 to Rs. 312.25 and from Rs. 318.25 to Rs. 318.75, respectively.

People’s Bank reports the buying rate of the US Dollar has increased from Rs. 311. 37 to Rs. 311.87, while the selling rate has also increased from Rs. 318.24 to Rs. 318.75.

Meanwhile, at Commercial Bank, the buying and selling rates have increased from Rs. 309.57 to Rs. 310.32 and from Rs. 318 to Rs. 318.75, respectively.

At Sampath Bank, the buying rate and selling rates have increased from Rs. 311.75 to Rs. 312.25 and from Rs. 318.25 to Rs. 318.75.

 (Source:Newswire)

The Department of Examinations has officially released the names of the students who secured the highest ranks in the 2025 General Certificate of Education (GCE) Advanced Level Examination across all subject streams.

The full list of top achievers across all streams is as follows:

Biological Science stream: 

•  First Place: Dilan Sanjana (Royal College, Colombo)

•  Second Place: Krishan Sasidu Namthara (Taxila Central College, Horana)

•  Third Place: Darshana Konesh (Sri Shanmuga Hindu Ladies’ College, Trincomalee)

Physical Science Stream

•  First Place: Devendan Thirukumaran (Kilinochchi Maha Vidyalaya)

•  Second Place: Tharusha Gimhana Gamlath (Maliyadeva College, Kurunegala)

•  Third Place: Vinura Prasad de Mel (Sri Sumangala Boys’ College, Panadura)

Commerce Stream

•  First Place: Subaideen Mohamed Fardhan (Kattankudy Central College)

•  Second Place: Senadi Dihasna Sumanasekara (Musaeus College, Colombo)

•  Third Place: Dileepa Sandaras Karunaratne (Bandaranayake College, Gampaha)

Arts Stream

•  First Place: Achintha Mihiranga Rathnayake (Wayamba Royal College, Kurunegala)

•  Second Place: Aaliyah Zainab (Devi Balika Vidyalaya, Colombo)

•  Third Place: Methusari Dinethya Ranatunga (Musaeus College, Colombo)

Engineering Technology Stream

•  First Place: Heshan Anujaya Wanigasooriya (Bandaranayake College, Gampaha)

•  Second Place: Sithija Dulan Bandara (Vijayaba National School, Mahawa)

•  Third Place: Riween Winsara (C.W.W. Kannangara Maha Vidyalaya, Matugama)

The Commissioner General of Examinations, A.K.S. Indika Kumari Liyanage also announced that 62.64% of candidates who sat for the 2025 Advanced Level Examination have qualified for university entrance.

The A/L exam results were released yesterday (31).

Out of a total of 281,810 candidates who sat for the examination, 176,527 qualified for university admission. Additionally, the Department of Examinations stated that the results of 111 candidates have been withheld.

Meanwhile, a total of 7,477 school candidates, representing 3.38% of the total number of school applicants, obtained ‘A’ grades in all subjects. Furthermore, 823 private candidates also secured ‘A’ passes across all subjects.

The percentage of university admission eligibility by subject stream are as follows:

1. Biological Science – 59.56% (school candidates) and 58.43% (private candidates) 

2. Physical Science – 63.96% and 61.59% respectively 

3. Commerce – 72.02% and 66.29% 

4. Arts – 67.57% and 63.57% 

5. Engineering Technology – 64.85% and 62.65% 

6. Bio Systems Technology – 71.76% (school candidates) and 70.24% overall 

7. Other Subjects – 55.39% and 51.45% 

Provincial distribution of candidates qualifying for university admission is as follows:

1. Western Province – 69.42% 

2. North Western Province – 68.48% 

3. Northern Province – 66.91% 

4. Eastern Province – 66.32% 

5. Southern Province – 65.69% 

6. Sabaragamuwa Province – 64.97% 

7. Uva Province – 63.53% 

8. Central Province – 63.04% 

9. North Central Province – 60.91%

(Adaderana.lk)

Dubai and Abu Dhabi stock markets have lost around $120 billion in value since the start of the US-Israel war on Iran, according to multiple reports, as the conflict continues to rattle Gulf economies.

Reports indicate that the Dubai and Abu Dhabi benchmark indexes have dropped sharply since the conflict began on February 28, with Dubai’s index falling about 16 per cent and Abu Dhabi declining around 9 per cent. The losses have placed UAE markets among the hardest-hit financial markets globally during the ongoing crisis. 

More than $120 billion has been wiped from market capitalization across the two exchanges in just over a month, with Dubai taking the larger hit due to its greater exposure to tourism, real estate, and global capital flows, which are particularly sensitive to geopolitical tensions. 

The downturn comes as the broader Middle East conflict fuels investor uncertainty, rising oil prices, and fears of disruptions to regional trade and travel. UAE markets have also faced pressure from attacks and security concerns linked to the conflict, which have further shaken investor confidence. 

Meanwhile, Gulf markets more broadly have seen volatility, with Dubai among the worst performers globally in recent weeks, while some other regional markets have shown mixed performance depending on exposure to the conflict. 

The ongoing war has triggered wider global market turbulence, with oil prices surging and equities falling across multiple regions as investors brace for prolonged instability in the Middle East. 

The situation remains fluid, with analysts warning that continued escalation could lead to further losses across Gulf financial markets.

 (Source:Newswire)

The 24-hour token strike launched by the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) concluded at 8:00 a.m. today (01).

GMOA Media Spokesperson Dr. Chamil Wijesinghe said that a decision on the union’s next course of action will be taken at an emergency executive committee meeting scheduled for later today.

The token strike was launched based on several demands, including the alleged illegal transfers of doctors.

The GMOA also warned that if the government fails to respond to their concerns, trade union action will be intensified in the future.

(Adaderana.lk)

Aluminium prices surged to four-year highs on Monday as Iranian airstrikes on two major Middle East producers over the weekend raised the risk of a prolonged supply shock.

Benchmark aluminium on the London Metal Exchange was up 4.7% to $3,453 a metric ton at 1048 GMT. Prices of the metal used in the transport, construction and packaging industries touched $3,492 earlier in the session.

The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and resulting closure of the Strait of Hormuz has already restricted shipments ⁠of aluminium to export markets in the United States and Europe.

Aluminium Bahrain, which runs the world’s largest single-site smelter, said it was assessing the damage from the Iranian strikes. Emirates Global Aluminium, meanwhile, said its plant sustained “significant damage."

Alba said this month that it was shutting smelting lines representing 19% of its capacity.

“Iran’s strikes on Middle Eastern aluminium plants are threatening to send a fragile market into crisis, raising the prospect of record prices,” Britannia Global Markets said.

“The conflict’s impact is being amplified because constraints on ⁠production elsewhere have eroded global inventories, leaving the market with little buffer against shocks.”

Aluminium prices hit a record $4,073.50 a ton in March 2022 after the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, a top producer of the metal.

Stocks of aluminium in LME-approved warehouses have dropped more than 60% ⁠since last May to 418,675 tons.

Concerns about severe shortages have pushed the premium for cash metal over the three-month contract to more than $60 a ton, its highest since 2007 .

Industrial metals ⁠overall were supported by signs of stronger demand in top consumer China.

Analysts expect Chinese factory activity to have expanded in March, ending a two-month contraction, though supply ⁠chain shocks from the Iran war cloud the outlook.

Copper was up 0.3% at $12,231 a ton, zinc gained 1.7% to $3,168, lead firmed 0.6% to $1,909 and tin climbed 1.5% to $46,495 while nickel advanced 0.5% to $17,270.

Source:adaderana.lk

President Donald Trump will give an update on the Iran war on Wednesday, April 1, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

“TUNE IN: Tomorrow night at 9PM ET, President Trump will give an Address to the Nation to provide an important update on Iran,”Leavitt said on X Tuesday evening.

The news comes after Trump shared an updated timeline for the end of the war on Tuesday, telling reporters in the Oval Office that he expects it to be over within “two weeks, maybe three.”

“I would say within two weeks, maybe, two weeks, maybe three,” Trump said when asked about how much longer it would take for the war to end. “I think within two or three weeks, we’ll leave. There’s no reason for us to do this.”

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth on Tuesday said the coming days in the Iran war will be “decisive,” as the Islamic Republic’s armed forces threatened to strike U.S. tech companies in the Middle East and Americans at home saw higher prices at the pump.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened to attack U.S. companies in the region, including Oracle, Microsoft, Apple, Google, Meta, Palantir, Nvidia and Tesla, among others. The IRGC said strikes could begin as soon as Wednesday and urged those near U.S.-owned facilities to leave. The White House said the U.S. would be ready to respond. In Saudi Arabia, the State Department advised all Americans to shelter in place, citing threats against U.S. citizens.

Trump signaled that the U.S. might abandon its efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, telling allied countries to “start learning how to fight for yourself, the U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore.” A day earlier, he threatened to bomb civilian infrastructure in Iran if peace talks fail. Iranian officials maintain that they are not involved in negotiations with Washington and vowed to “severely punish aggressors.”

As Iran tightened its control over the strait, which carries one-fifth of the world’s oil exports, average gasoline prices in the U.S. rose above $4 a gallon for the first time since 2022.

Source: USA Today

Authorities in Dubai have confirmed no oil leaked from a tanker set on fire after an Iranian drone strike.

The Al Salmi tanker was fully loaded with two million barrels of oil and was docked in Dubai on its way to China, when it was hit in a drone attack and a fire broke out.

The Dubai media office has since confirmed that response teams have ‘‘successfully contained the incident involving the Kuwaiti oil tanker in Dubai waters, with no oil leakage and no injuries reported’’.

Source: adaderana.lk