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Israel’s military has issued a warning to Iran that it will continue pursuing every successor of the country’s deceased supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

In a post on X, the IDF’s Farsi-language account said: ‘‘Iran’s Assembly of Experts, which has not convened for decades, will soon gather in the city of Qom.

‘‘We want to tell you that the hand of the State of Israel will continue to pursue every successor and every person who seeks to appoint a successor.

‘‘We warn all those who intend to participate in the successor selection meeting that we will not hesitate to target you either. This is a warning!’’

Source:adaderana,lk

The Department of Meteorology predicts that most parts of Sri Lanka will experience predominantly dry weather today (08).

However, a few areas in the Southern Province and the Ratnapura District may receive brief showers or thundershowers after 2.00 p.m., according to the daily weather outlook.

The department also noted that misty conditions are likely in several regions during the early morning hours. These include parts of the Northern Province, North Central Province, Central Province, Sabaragamuwa Province, Southern Province, Uva Province and North Western Province.

Residents in these areas may experience reduced visibility in the early hours of the day due to the presence of morning mist

Sri Lanka’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Arun Hemachandra announced that four Sri Lankan citizens were injured during the ongoing hostilities in the Middle East.

Speaking on the matter, the Deputy Minister said all four individuals had received medical treatment and have now been discharged from hospital.

He further noted that the Sri Lankan government is placing priority on the safety and welfare of its citizens residing in the region. According to him, authorities are continuously monitoring developments through Sri Lanka’s diplomatic missions to ensure the protection of nationals living there.

Meanwhile, tensions remain high as the military confrontation involving Iran, Israel, and the United States continues to escalate.

Although Masoud Pezeshkian reportedly stated that Iran would refrain from launching further attacks on neighboring Middle Eastern states and expressed regret over previous strikes, international media report that Iranian forces have continued to carry out attacks targeting countries including Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

In a related incident, foreign media reported that a Pakistani driver was killed after debris from a drone shot down by an air defense system fell to the ground in Dubai.

Four adult siblings who spent time with the late Michael Jackson are accusing him of being a “serial child predator” and suing his estate for child sex trafficking, claiming that he abused them when they were minors.

In a complaint filed on Feb. 27, obtained and viewed by Global News, Edward, Dominic, Marie-Nicole and Aldo Cascio alleged that Jackson, who died in 2009 at the age of 50, “drugged, raped, and sexually assaulted” them “beginning when some of them were as young as seven or eight.”

The siblings claim that the alleged abuse took place over the course of “more than a decade” and that it “went on for extended periods, including in locations around the world and when Jackson and his children were guests in Plaintiffs’ family home.”

Jackson “groomed and brainwashed the four siblings, without the knowledge of the others or their parents, throughout their childhood years,” according to the legal documents.

“Jackson used methods typical of child predators, but his wealth and fame, and the apparatus of professional advisors and employees who aided and abetted, and actively concealed, the abuse, gave him far more power over his many victims than other child predators,” the lawsuit says.

The suit says that Jackson “raped and molested” one of the siblings at Elizabeth Taylor’s house in Switzerland and at Elton John’s home in the United Kingdom, as well as at Jackson’s Neverland Ranch in California.

After the alleged abuse began, the siblings say that Jackson “isolated them emotionally, and sometimes physically, from responsible adults and from each other.”

“He plied them with drugs and alcohol. He showed them pornography, including pictures of unclothed children, to normalize the abuse and desensitize them. He made them fear and distrust others by convincing them that not only his life, but also their lives and the lives of their family members, would be destroyed if anyone found out what he was doing to them,” the suit alleges.

The lawsuit claims “Jackson’s years of brainwashing prevented Plaintiffs from seeking help when he was alive and for years afterward, or even comprehending the despicable behavior they endured.”

The filing alleges that representatives of Jackson’s estate had them sign an agreement, which prevented them from “talking about the years of abuse they endured.”

The family says that in 2019, the Jackson estate offered to send “five annual payments of approximately $690,000,” minus a six per cent commission for a man who presented himself as a representative for the estate, in exchange for signing an “acquisition and consulting agreement.”

The negotiations allegedly happened after the release of the HBO documentary Leaving Neverland, a two-part series that details James Safechuck and Wade Robson’s allegations that the pop star sexually abused them as children.

“After the documentary’s release, Defendants fraudulently induced the Plaintiffs to sign a deceptive and unconscionable document that the Jackson Estate created to attempt to prohibit Plaintiffs from talking about the years of abuse they endured. More recently, Defendants responded to detailed, admissible evidence of Jackson’s crimes against Plaintiffs with defamatory false accusations, threats, and public disclosure of highly private information. Defendants have explicitly threatened to drive Plaintiffs into bankruptcy if they make their claims publicly,” the suit alleges.

Source: adaderana.lk

The U.S. State Department’s Spokesperson has stated that Washington respects Sri Lanka’s sovereignty in handling the situation involving the Iranian warship ‘IRIS Bushehr’ and its crew.  

The spokesperson added that the final decision regarding the vessel, its crew, and the rescued Iranian sailors rests solely with Sri Lanka, in accordance with the country’s domestic laws and international legal obligations.

This statement comes after Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told a conference in New Delhi that Sri Lanka was caring for 32 sailors from the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena under Colombo’s international treaty obligations.

The frigate was sunk by a US submarine on Wednesday just off Sri Lanka’s southern coast.

Sri Lanka sent its navy to rescue survivors and recovered 84 bodies.

Asked if Colombo was under pressure from the United States to not repatriate the Iranians, Herath did not answer directly.

‘‘We have taken all the steps according to international laws,’’ Herath said.

Sri Lanka also provided safe haven to a second Iranian warship, the IRIS Bushehr, and evacuated its 219 crew members a day after the Dena was torpedoed.
The ship was taken to Trincomalee on Sri Lanka’s northeast coast after reporting engine problems.

Reuters reported Friday that Washington was leaning on Sri Lanka not to repatriate the Iranian sailors, citing an internal State Department cable.

Asked about the report, a State Department spokesperson said the disposition of the IRIS Bushehr crew and Iranian sailors rescued at sea was up to Sri Lanka.

‘‘The United States of course respects and recognizes Sri Lanka’s sovereignty in the handling of this situation,’’ the spokesperson told AFP.

India, meanwhile, said Saturday that it had allowed a third Iranian warship, the IRIS Lavan, to dock in one of its ports on ‘‘humane’’ grounds after it too reported operational problems.

The three ships were part of a multi-national fleet review held by India before the war in the Middle East started last Saturday.

‘‘I think it was the humane thing to do and I think we were guided by that principle,’’ Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said.

The Lavan docked in the southwest Indian port of Kochi on Wednesday.

‘‘A lot of the people on board were young cadets. They have disembarked and are in a nearby facility,’’ Jaishankar said.

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said this week that Colombo would follow the Hague Convention, which requires a neutral state to hold combatants of a warring state until hostilities end.

A senior administration official said Colombo was in talks with the International Committee of the Red Cross to deal with the survivors of the torpedoed ship.

International humanitarian law applied to the survivors from the Dena, an official said, and the wounded could be repatriated at their request.

Iranian diplomats in Colombo said they have asked for the remains of the sailors killed in the US attack to be taken back to Iran.

(Source:adaderana.lk)

Sri Lanka’s official reserve assets recorded a notable increase in February 2026, reaching USD 7,284 million, according to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.

The latest figures show a 6.6 percent rise compared to USD 6,832 million reported in January 2026, reflecting an improvement in the country’s foreign reserve position.

With this increase, Sri Lanka’s reserves have climbed above the USD 7 billion mark for the first time since August 2020, signaling a gradual strengthening of the nation’s external financial buffers.

However, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka noted that the total reserve figure also includes funds obtained through a currency swap agreement with the People’s Bank of China.

The central bank stated that such arrangements contribute to the overall reserve level while supporting the country’s efforts to stabilize its external finances.

Norwegian police reported on Sunday an explosion near the U.S. Embassy in the capital Oslo, but said there were no casualties.

The explosion occurred around 1 a.m. local time, Oslo police said in a statement, adding they had no information about the blast’s cause or who was behind it.

"A loud bang/explosion was reported at the scene," Oslo police said. 

Public broadcaster NRK quoted police incident commander Michael Delmer saying the blast hit the entrance of the embassy’s consular section.

"At around 1 a.m. we received several reports of an explosion. We arrived shortly afterward and confirmed that there had been an explosion that hit the US embassy," he told NRK.

"There is minor damage," he said.

"We are not going to comment on anything related to the type of damage, what it is that has exploded and similar details, beyond the fact that there has been an explosion" because "it is very early in the investigation," he said.

The police said it was in contact with the embassy about the incident and that a large number of resources were on site.

"The police are in dialogue with the embassy and no injuries have been reported," police added. 

CBS News has reached out to the State Department for comment.

Residents near the embassy said they heard a loud blast. A 16-year-old identified only as Edvard told TV2 that he was watching television when he heard it.

"My mother and I first thought it came from our house so we looked around a little, but then we saw the flashing lights outside the window and a ton of police," he said. "…There were police dogs and drones and police with automatic weapons and helicopters in the air." 

U.S. embassies have been placed on high alert in the Middle East over U.S. military operations in Iran, and several have faced attacks as Tehran hits back at industrial and diplomatic targets.

But police gave no indication the incident near the embassy in Oslo was connected to the conflict.

Source:adaderana.lk

UNICEF called on all parties in the Iran conflict to protect civilians, warning that children were increasingly bearing the toll of the fighting with reports of rising casualties.

“UNICEF is deeply concerned about the deadly impact the ongoing military escalation in Iran is having on children,” the agency said in a statement. “Approximately 180 children have reportedly been killed and many more injured.”

The organization said 168 girls were killed when a strike hit the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ elementary school in Minab, in southern Iran, on Feb. 28 while classes were in session.

Reports indicated that most of those killed were between 7 and 12 years old.

UNICEF also said 12 other children were killed in separate incidents at schools across five locations in Iran and warned that at least 20 schools and 10 hospitals had reportedly been damaged.

Reuters reported Thursday evening that US military investigators believe it is likely that US forces were responsible for the strike.

The report cited two officials who said the investigation was not completed and “new evidence could emerge that absolves the U.S. of responsibility and points to another responsible party in the incident.”

The New York Times also said on Thursday that it had verified video footage and satellite imagery showing the Minab school was struck during US-led attacks near an Iranian naval facility, making it one of the deadliest incidents of the campaign.

It said the building had long functioned as a clearly defined civilian school despite its proximity to a former military complex.

US officials have said the War Department is investigating reports of civilian casualties but have neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the Minab strike.

Strikes began last week as US and Israeli forces targeted sites across Iran, with Tehran retaliating with missile and drone attacks across the region.

“These child casualties are a stark reminder of the brutality of war and violence on children, which impacts families and communities for generations,” UNICEF said, adding that schools and children are protected under international humanitarian law and must remain places of safety.

Source:adaderrana.lk

As the world observes International Women’s Day, Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya extended her greetings to women both in Sri Lanka and across the globe.

In a message issued to mark the occasion, the Prime Minister drew attention to this year’s theme introduced by the United Nations — “Rights. Justice. Action. For All Women and Girls.” She said the theme highlights the urgent need to secure equal rights, ensure justice, and take concrete steps to improve the lives of women and girls everywhere.

Amarasuriya noted that women play a crucial role in Sri Lanka’s social and economic development, describing them as the foundation of families, communities, and the national economy. She said the government’s policy vision, “A Thriving Nation – A Beautiful Life,” aims to treat women not merely as recipients of support but as key contributors to national progress.

Under this framework, the government plans to introduce several initiatives to strengthen women’s empowerment. These include promoting female entrepreneurship, expanding opportunities for self-employment through financial and technical support, and improving safety in public transport, workplaces, and domestic environments.

The Prime Minister also highlighted efforts to increase women’s participation in leadership and decision-making roles at both national and regional levels. In addition, targeted programs are being developed to improve women’s nutrition, reproductive health, and mental well-being.

Amarasuriya stressed that women should not be viewed as individuals seeking sympathy but as essential partners in society who possess intelligence, creativity, and resilience. She said the government’s goal is to create a country where women can live without fear, have their abilities recognized, and lead dignified lives.

Marking the global celebration, the Prime Minister expressed hope that the day would signal the start of a new chapter in which the aspirations of Sri Lankan women are fully realized and celebrated internationally

US President Donald Trump said he is not worried about rising petrol prices in the United States during the ongoing conflict involving Iran, saying the military campaign remains his main focus, according to Reuters.

In an interview with Reuters, Trump said the increase in fuel prices linked to tensions in the Middle East was not his immediate concern and expected prices to fall once the conflict ends.

“I don’t have any concern about it,” Trump said when asked about higher prices at petrol stations.

“They’ll drop very rapidly when this is over, and if they rise, they rise, but this is far more important than having gasoline prices go up a little bit,” he told Reuters.

Global oil prices have increased since the conflict began, raising concerns about supply disruptions in the Middle East. 

The region is a major source of oil exports, and tensions can affect shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil transport.

According to the American Automobile Association, the average price of petrol in the US has risen by 27 cents in the past week to about $3.25 per gallon. This is about 15 cents higher than a year ago.

Trump said the rise was limited.

“They haven’t risen very much,” he said in the interview with Reuters.

Trump said he was not planning to release oil from the country’s emergency stockpile, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which is the world’s largest reserve of crude oil held for emergencies.

He also said he expected oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz to continue.
Officials in the White House are discussing possible ways to reduce fuel prices if they continue to rise.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Energy Secretary Chris Wright have spoken with oil company leaders to discuss possible responses.

A White House official, speaking anonymously, told Reuters that government teams were looking at measures that could help lower prices if needed.

Officials believe the price increase could be temporary as the conflict continues.

Source:adaderana.lk

Rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah’s RSP is all set to form the next government in Nepal after securing a sweeping victory in the crucial general election on Saturday, decimating the established parties in the politically-fragile country.

Popularly known as "Balen", the 35-year-old prime-ministerial candidate of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) defeated four-time former prime minister K P Sharma Oli, the chair of Nepal’s legacy party -- the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) (CPN-UML) -- by a huge margin of about 50,000 votes in the Jhapa-5 constituency.

Balen, 35, secured 68,348 votes against 74-year-old Oli’s 18,734, the Election Commission (EC) said.

Balen is expected to be the next prime minister of Nepal, reflecting a public mood of rejection of established parties. 

Balen will be the first Madhesi prime minister of the Himalayan country as also the youngest to occupy the top post in Nepal’s parliamentary history.

The RSP, which was formed in 2022 by Ravi Lamichhane, has won 91 of the 117 seats for which the results were declared by 5:30 am, according to the EC.

The RSP’s seats include a clean sweep of all 10 constituencies in Kathmandu district, even as it was leading in 34 seats across the country, the EC data showed.

Legacy parties failed to convince voters for whom the major issues included fighting corruption and an end to nepotism, apart from a generational change in Nepal’s political leadership.

The Nepali Congress (NC) won 13 seats and was leading in three, the CPN-UML won just seven seats and was leading in three, the Nepali Communist Party (NCP) won four seats and was leading in three, the Shrama Shakti Party (SSP) was leading in three seats and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) won one seat, the EC data showed. Among the winners is one Independent candidate.

Nepal witnessed about 60 per cent voter turnout during the March 5 election to the House of Representatives. The counting of votes started late on Thursday night and as of Saturday night, counting was in progress in the remaining of the total 165 constituencies, the EC said.

The election was being closely watched by India, which is hoping for a stable government in the politically-fragile Himalayan country to take forward the developmental partnership between the two sides.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday congratulated the people and government of Nepal for the successful conduct of the election.

"It is heartening to see my Nepali sisters and brothers exercise their democratic rights so vibrantly. This historic milestone is a proud moment in Nepal’s democratic journey," Modi said in a post on X.

He also said as a close friend and neighbour, India remains steadfast in its commitment to working closely with the people of Nepal and its new government to scale new heights of shared peace, progress and prosperity.

Oli, who too was projected as the prime-ministerial face of the CPN-UML, wished Balen a full five-year tenure for his government in a country that has seen 14 governments in the last 18 years.

"Balen babu, congratulations for the victory. I wish your five year tenure be trouble free, successful and hearty congratulations," Oli wrote in a social media post and attached a 2022 photo showing him gifting a tabla to Balen after the rapper-turned politician won the mayoral polls in Kathmandu as an Independent candidate.

The RSP, which projected Balen as its prime-ministerial candidate and had organised its first election campaign in Janakpur in Madhesh, is heading towards a clean sweep of the province.

"Balen", as he is popularly known, projected himself as the "son of Madhesh" during the campaign, with the party launching the campaign with the "Ab ki bar Balendra sarkar" (This time there will be Balendra’s government) tagline.

Of the total 32 seats in eight districts of Madhesh province, the RSP has won eight and was leading in 22, the EC said.

The party made a clean sweep in the Kathmandu valley, winning all 10 seats of Kathmandu district, two in Bhaktapur and three in Lalitpur district.

The party’s clean sweep of all 15 seats in the valley could possibly be attributed to a massive road show led by Balen in all the constituencies on the last day of the election campaign.

RSP chairman Lamichhane won with a huge margin from the Chitwan-2 constituency, marking his third consecutive victory, with 54,402 votes against his nearest rival, NC’s Mina Kumari Kharel, who received 14,564 votes.

According to the EC, former prime minister and NCP leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda won from Rukum Purba district by securing 10,240 votes against his rival, Lilamani Gautam of the CPN-(UML), who got 3,462 votes.

RPP’s Gyanendra Shahi won from the Jumla constituency of Karnali province by defeating his closest rival, Naresh Bhandari of the NCP, and became the only candidate of the pro-monarchist RPP to have secured a seat in the House of Representatives.

The election also saw 10 women candidates win, nine of them from the RSP and one from the NC.

Meanwhile, the RSP was also leading in the proportional-voting system, with the party bagging 10,28,797 votes, followed by the Nepali Congress with 3,42,934. The CPN-UML has received 3,73,475, the Nepali Communist Party 1,19,902, the RPP 73,593, the SSP 43,099, the Rastriya Parivartan Party 23,644 and the Janata Samajwadi Party 13,692 votes.

Out of a total of 275 members of Parliament, 165 are being elected through direct voting, while the remaining 110 through a proportionate method.

Around 3,400 candidates were vying for 165 seats under direct voting and 3,135 candidates for 110 seats through proportionate voting.

The Gen Z, through their two-day intensified protests on September 8 and 9 last year, ousted Prime Minister Oli of the CPN-UML, who was heading a coalition government with the backing of the Nepali Congress that enjoyed nearly two-thirds majority support. 

Though Balen was a popular choice to lead the interim government after Oli’s ouster, he declined to lead the interim administration, saying he would prefer to contest the parliamentary election for a full term.

In January, he joined the RSP and was soon declared the party’s prime-ministerial candidate.

The major issues raised by the Gen Z before and during the election campaign were anti-corruption, good governance, an end to nepotism, a generational change in the political leadership etc.

Sunil Babu Pant, former MP and a political analyst, said, "The victory of the Rastriya Swatantra Party in the March 5 election and the expectation that Balen Shah could emerge as Nepal’s next prime minister reflect the people’s deep-rooted frustration with the old political order and their hope for a new direction." "As Balen assumes the country’s leadership, his first responsibility must be to demonstrate that corruption will not be tolerated under any circumstances," he said.

Balen will also face a complex geopolitical challenge, Pant said, adding, "He must prove that he is not a puppet of any external power, western or otherwise. Nepal’s leadership must carefully balance relations with all global actors and pursue an independent foreign policy that prioritises the national interest."

Source:adaderana.lk

Emirates and Etihad Airways were resuming limited flight schedules to key global cities from their United Arab Emirates hubs on Friday, though the threat of missile fire piled pressure on airlines as they scramble to accommodate travellers.

With most airspace in the Middle East still closed over missile and drone concerns since the start of the U.S.-Israel war against Iran, authorities have been arranging charter flights and securing seats on limited commercial services to evacuate tens of thousands of people.

A government-chartered Air France flight to bring French nationals back from the United Arab Emirates was forced to turn back on Thursday due to missile fire in the area, French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said.

“This situation reflects the instability in the region and the complexity of repatriation operations,” he said.

Britain’s first repatriation flight from Oman landed at London’s Stansted Airport early on Friday after being rescheduled due to operational issues, including delays in boarding passengers.

Abu Dhabi-based Etihad said on Friday it would ⁠resume a limited flight schedule through March 19. The flights will operate to and from Abu Dhabi and around 70 destinations including London, Paris, Frankfurt, Delhi, New York, Toronto and Tel Aviv.

As of Thursday, traffic at Dubai airport, normally the world’s busiest, had almost doubled from Wednesday, but remained only about 25% of normal levels, flight-tracking website Flightradar24 said.

Dubai-based Emirates said late on Thursday it was operating a reduced flight schedule to 82 destinations including London, Sydney, Singapore and New York until further notice, and customers transiting in Dubai would only be accepted if their connecting flight was operating.

The limited operations at Middle Eastern hubs have hit travellers on routes from Europe to the Asia-Pacific region particularly hard.

Combined, Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad normally fly about one-third of passengers from Europe to Asia and more than half of all passengers from Europe to Australia, New Zealand and nearby Pacific Islands, according to Cirium data.

Qatar’s Doha hub remains shut, though it has been arranging a limited number of relief flights from Oman and Saudi Arabia.

Data from Cirium showed that from February 28 - when the conflict started - to March 5, there were more than 44,000 flights scheduled in and out of the Middle East, with more than 25,000 flights cancelled so far.

Malaysia Airlines said ⁠it would add extra flights from Kuala Lumpur to London and Paris from Friday to Sunday to support disrupted travellers, while SriLankan Airlines said it would operate an additional flight between Colombo and London on Sunday.

JET FUEL PRICES SOAR, SHARES FALL

Higher oil prices have sent jet fuel costs soaring, with Singapore jet fuel reaching a record high of $225 a barrel this week, which traders attributed to concerns about supply shortages from Middle Eastern refiners. The price eased on Thursday to about $195 a barrel after some profit-taking but remained nearly double that of last week.

“As well as lost revenue, airlines are likely to be affected by higher fuel prices,” Fitch Ratings said.

Fuel hedging varies by airline, but Fitch ⁠said most carriers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa were about 50% to 80% hedged for the next three months.

In Asia, shares of Qantas Airways fell more than 1% on Friday, Air New Zealand plunged 6.4%, Hong Kong’s flagship carrier Cathay Pacific dropped 1%, Singapore Airlines was down 0.6%, while Korean Air Lines fell 2%.

The Hong Kong-listed shares of major Chinese carriers including Air China, China Eastern Airlines , and China Southern Airlines were mostly flat, as were ⁠Japan Airlines’ shares.

TRAVELLERS DESCRIBE CHAOS IN SCRAMBLE TO LEAVE

With the conflict showing little sign of easing, wider aviation and air cargo disruption looked set to linger.

Passengers have been forking out huge sums of money to get out of the Middle East, with some who managed to travel back by commercial flight on Thursday from Oman saying it had been “absolute chaos” to find their way back home from Dubai.

“We paid 1,500 ⁠pounds ($2,005.05) to get across to Muscat (Oman) to get on the plane,” said Ed Short after he arrived at London’s Heathrow Airport on a British Airways flight.

“We’d spent about 20,000 pounds booking Emirates flight instead. So we’re hoping we get those back.”

Source:adaderana.lk