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French President Emmanuel Macron said he urged Iran to end attacks across the Middle East and called for restoring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz during a phone call with Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian.

In a post on X following the call, Macron said, “I have just spoken with Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian.”

Macron said he called on Tehran to immediately halt what he described as unacceptable attacks carried out directly or through allied groups in the region.

“I called on him to put an immediate end to the unacceptable attacks Iran is carrying out against countries in the region, whether directly or through proxies, including in Lebanon and Iraq,” he said.

The French President also said Paris is acting only to defend its interests and regional partners.

“I reminded him that France is acting within a strictly defensive framework aimed at protecting its interests, its regional partners, and freedom of navigation, and that it is unacceptable for our country to be targeted,” he said.

Macron warned that escalating tensions risk destabilising the entire Middle East and harming civilians across the region.

“The unchecked escalation we are witnessing is plunging the entire region into chaos, with major consequences today and for the years to come. The people of Iran, like those across the region, are paying the price,” he said.

He added that long-term stability would require a new political and security framework addressing Iran’s nuclear program and regional activities.

“Only a new political and security framework can ensure peace and security for all.
 Such a framework must guarantee that Iran never acquires nuclear weapons, while also addressing the threats posed by its ballistic missile programme and its destabilising activities regionally and internationally,” he said.

Macron also called for restoring safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global oil shipments.

“Freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz must be restored as soon as possible,” he said.

The French president further urged Iran to release two French nationals detained in the country.

“I also urged the Iranian President to allow Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris to return safely to France as soon as possible. Their ordeal has gone on for far too long, and they belong with their loved ones.”

Earlier, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its naval forces carried out coordinated missile and drone strikes on four United States airbases at dawn on Sunday (local time), targeting key military infrastructure, Al Jazeera reported.

In a statement, the IRGC said the strikes targeted command centres, air traffic control towers and air defence facilities linked to US forces in the region.

“The IRGC Navy at dawn today, in several assault battalions, simultaneously struck four American terrorist airbases with precise and crushing blows,” Al Jazeera reported the IRGC as saying, adding that missile and drone units targeted multiple sites associated with US military operations.

The Iranian force also claimed that satellite imagery showed extensive damage to the targeted bases.

“In recent days, according to published satellite images, the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran have destroyed more than 80 per cent of the strategic radars, key and vital points of the American terrorist bases,” the IRGC said. 

Source:adaderana.lk

A fire caused by a drone attack on Monday near Dubai International Airport had been contained with no injuries reported, but flights were temporarily suspended, Dubai authorities said.

“A drone incident in the vicinity of ⁠Dubai International Airport (DXB) affected one of the fuel tanks”, the Dubai media office said on X.

Emirates airline also announced in a post on X the temporary suspension of flights to and from Dubai.

Gulf Arab states have faced more than 2,000 missile and drone attacks since the outbreak of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran on February 28, with ⁠targets including U.S. diplomatic missions and military bases but also critical Gulf oil infrastructure, ports, airports, hotels and residential and office ⁠buildings.

The United Arab Emirates, which normalised relations with Iran’s arch-foe Israel in 2020, has faced the ⁠brunt of the attacks. But all Gulf Arab states have been affected, ⁠and all have condemned Iran.

Source:adaderana.lk

China has responded after President Trump earlier, in an interview with UK newspaper the Financial Times, threatened to delay a summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping if Beijing doesn’t send help to secure the Strait of Hormuz.

When asked about the US president’s comments, a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry says ‘‘head-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role in China-US relations’’, before adding ‘‘the two sides have maintained communication regarding President Trump’s visit’’.

In response to a question about Trump calling for warships to be sent to the Strait, Lin Jian says that recent tensions have disrupted trade routes and undermined regional and global peace.

‘‘China reiterates its call for all parties to immediately cease military operations,’’ the spokesperson says and adds ‘‘we are committed to promoting de-escalation.’’

Source:adaderana.lk

Update - U.S. President Donald Trump warned NATO of a “very bad” future if allies do not help open up the Strait of Hormuz and said he may also delay a planned summit with Chinese President Xi ​Jinping, in comments published by the Financial Times on Sunday.

“I think China should help too because China ‌gets 90% of its oil from the Straits,” Trump told the newspaper, adding he would prefer to know Beijing’s position before the planned visit.

“We may delay,” he said of the trip.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng wrapped up ​the first of two days of talks in Paris on Sunday to iron out kinks in their ​trade truce and clear a path for Trump’s trip to Beijing to meet with ⁠Xi at the end of March.

The U.S. president said countries that benefit from the shipping route should help ​secure it.

“It’s only appropriate that people who are the beneficiaries of the Strait will help to make sure that ​nothing bad happens there,” he told the FT.

Trump on Saturday called on nations to send warships to keep the narrow waterway open for shipping as Iranian forces continue attacks following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, saying he hoped countries including China, France, ​Japan, South Korea, Britain would send ships to the area.

When asked to specify the assistance he wanted, Trump told ​the FT that it could include minesweepers and other military assets to counter drones and naval mines.

“We’re hitting them very hard,” ‌Trump ⁠said of Iranian forces, according to the FT. “They’ve got nothing left but to make a little trouble in the Strait … these people are beneficiaries and they ought to help us police it.”

Iran effectively shut the strait after the United States and Israel launched attacks against it more than two weeks ago. About a fifth of global oil ​and liquefied natural gas normally ​passes through the Strait of ⁠Hormuz, a narrow passage of water between Iran and Oman.

Trump also warned Washington could launch further strikes on Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export hub, saying U.S. forces ​could target its oil infrastructure if needed.

“We can hit that in five minutes,” he ​said. “And there’s ⁠not a thing they can do about it.”

Trump also criticised Britain’s response after speaking with Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

“The UK might be considered the number one ally… and when I asked for them to come, they didn’t want to come,” ⁠Trump ​told the Financial Times, adding that Britain only offered to send ​ships after the U.S. had already reduced Iran’s military capabilities.

The White House and the Chinese foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters ​request for comment.

Following his comments on Nato, Donald Trump also spoke to the Financial Times about his upcoming summit in Beijing with China’s President Xi Jinping.

The president told the outlet that he expected China to assist in unblocking the Strait of Hormuz ahead of the meeting, and said that the nation receives "90% of its oil from the Straits".

The meeting in Beijing is scheduled for the end of March, but Trump said that he would ideally like to see action from China before then as two weeks was a "long time".

He added that the visit could be delayed, but did not give any further clarifying details.

For a more detailed analysis on the impact of the Strait’s closure on China, read this piece by BBC correspondent Laura Bicker.

Source:adaderana.lk

President Donald Trump said Sunday that he has demanded about seven countries send warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, but his appeals have brought no commitments as oil prices soar during the Iran war.

The president declined to name the countries heavily reliant on Middle East crude that the administration is negotiating with to join a coalition to police the waterway where about one-fifth the world’s traded oil normally flows.

“I’m demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory, because it is their own territory,” Trump said about the strait, claiming the shipping channel is not something the United States needs because of its own access to oil. Trump spoke while answering reporters’ questions as he flew back to Washington from Florida aboard Air Force One.

Trump said China gets about 90% of its oil from the strait, while the U.S. gets a minimal amount. He declined to discuss whether China will join the coalition.

“It would be nice to have other countries police that with us, and we’ll help. We’ll work with them,” Trump said. Previously, he has appealed to China, France, Japan, South Korea and Britain.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi earlier told CBS that Tehran has been “approached by a number of countries” seeking safe passage for their vessels, “and this is up to our military to decide.” He said a group of vessels from “different countries” had been allowed to pass, without providing details.

Iran has said the strait is open to all except the United States and its allies.

Araghchi added that “we don’t see any reason why we should talk with Americans” about finding a way to end the war, noting that Israel and the U.S. started the fighting with coordinated attacks on Feb. 28 during indirect U.S.-Iran talks on Iran’s nuclear program. He also said Tehran had “no plan to recover” the enriched uranium that is under rubble following U.S. and Israeli attacks last year.

Countries are cautious after Trump’s call
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told NBC earlier Sunday that he has been “in dialogue” with some of the countries Trump had mentioned previously, and said he expected China “will be a constructive partner” in reopening the strait.

But countries made no promises.

Britain said Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sunday discussed with Trump the importance of reopening the strait “to end the disruption to global shipping,” and spoke with Canada’s prime minister about it separately.

Aboard Air Force One, Trump specifically named Starmer, who he said initially declined to put British aircraft carriers “into harm’s way.”

“Whether we get support or not, but I can say this, and I said to them: We will remember,” Trump said.

A spokesperson for China’s embassy to the U.S., Liu Pengyu, said previously that “all parties have the responsibility to ensure stable and unimpeded energy supply” and that China would “strengthen communication with relevant parties” for de-escalation.

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said it “takes note” of Trump’s call and that it “will closely coordinate and carefully review” the situation with the U.S.

Expectations are high that Trump will ask Japan directly when Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi meets him on Thursday at the White House.

France previously said it is working with countries — President Emmanuel Macron mentioned partners in Europe, India and Asia — on a possible international mission to escort ships through the strait but has stressed it must be when “the circumstances permit,” when fighting has subsided.

Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul of Germany, which was not mentioned in Trump’s call, told ARD television: “Will we soon be an active part of this conflict? No.”

Meanwhile, emergency oil stocks “will soon start flowing to global markets,” the International Energy Agency said Sunday, describing the collective action to lower prices “by far the largest ever.”

It updated last week’s announcement of 400 million barrels to nearly 412 million. Asian member countries plan to release stocks “immediately,” and reserves from Europe and the Americas will be released “from the end of March.”

Trump didn’t directly answer whether his administration is talking about selling oil futures as a way to cap surging oil prices.

“The prices are going to come tumbling down as soon as it’s over. And it’s going to be over pretty quickly,” he told reporters.

More missile and drone attacks are reported
Gulf Arab states including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain reported new missile or drone attacks a day after Iran called for the evacuation of three major ports in the United Arab Emirates — the first time it has threatened a neighboring country’s non-U.S. assets.

Dubai temporarily suspended flights at its international airport — the world’s busiest — after a drone hit a fuel tank and caused a fire. Civil defense crews contained the blaze and no injuries were reported, authorities said.

Tehran has claimed that Friday’s U.S. strikes on Kharg Island, home to Iran’s primary oil terminal, were launched from the UAE, without providing evidence. It has threatened to attack U.S.-linked “oil, economic and energy infrastructures” if its oil infrastructure is hit.

U.S. Central Command said it had no response to Iran’s claim, and Anwar Gargash, a diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, rejected it. Gulf countries that host U.S. bases have denied allowing their land or airspace to be used for military operations against Iran.

Iran has fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Arab Gulf neighbors during the war, causing significant damage and rattling economies even as most are intercepted. Tehran says it targets U.S. assets, even as Iranian strikes are reported at civilian sites such as airports and oil fields.

War’s toll mounts across the region
Iranian strikes have killed at least a dozen civilians in Gulf countries, most of them migrant workers.

In Iran, the International Committee for the Red Cross said more than 1,300 people have been killed. Iran’s Health Ministry said 223 women and 202 children are among the dead, according to Mizan, the judiciary’s official news agency.

Iran’s government on Sunday showed journalists buildings damaged by strikes in Tehran on Friday. A police station was hit and surrounding buildings were damaged. Some apartments’ outer walls had been stripped away.

“God had mercy on all of us,” said Elham Movagghari, a resident. Other Iranians are leaving the country.

In Israel, 12 people have been killed by Iranian missile fire and more have been injured, including three on Sunday. At least 13 U.S. military members have been killed, six in a plane crash in Iraq last week.

At least 820 people have been killed in Lebanon, according to its Health Ministry, since Iran-backed Hezbollah hit Israel and Israel responded with strikes and sent additional troops into southern Lebanon. In just 10 days, more than 800,000 people — nearly one out of every seven residents of Lebanon — have been displaced.

More Iranian missile strikes hit Israel

Israel’s military said early Monday that Iran launched missiles toward Israel.

Earlier, several strikes hit central Israel and the Tel Aviv area, where they caused damage at 23 sites and sparked a small fire. Magen David Adom, Israel’s rescue service, released video showing a large crater in a street and shrapnel damage to an apartment building.

Israel’s military says Iran is firing cluster bombs that can evade some air defenses and scatter submunitions across multiple locations. 

Source:adaderana.lk

Three members of Iran’s women’s national football team who had sought asylum in Australia have decided to return to Iran, the Australian government said on Sunday.

Australia granted humanitarian visas to seven Iranian players last week after they sought protection, saying they feared persecution if they returned home following their refusal to sing the national anthem at a Women’s Asian Cup match.

Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said four of the seven players had so far decided to leave Australia, while another player had earlier changed her mind.

Burke said the players were given multiple opportunities to reconsider their options after informing Australian officials of their decision.

“While the Australian Government can ensure that opportunities are provided and communicated, we cannot remove the context in which the players are making these incredibly difficult decisions,” he said in a statement.

The players had initially sought asylum citing concerns over possible repercussions in Iran after the anthem protest during the tournament.

(Source:Newswire)

Brent crude oil traded near $105 per barrel on Monday as Gulf countries reported more attacks by Iran with the war entering its third week, while share prices were mixed.

A barrel of Brent, the international standard, was up 1.6% at $104.73, dipping slightly after opening above $106 per barrel. It’s up more than 40% since the war began.

U.S. benchmark crude gained 1% to $99.68 per barrel. It’s up nearly 50% since the war began.

In share trading, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.4% to 53,609.49, while the Kospi in South Korea climbed 0.6% to 5,521.17.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 1.1% to 25,755.53 and the Shanghai Composite shed 0.7% to 4,066.40.

In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 gave up 0.4% to 8,583.50.

Taiwan’s Taiex edged 0.1% higher, while India’s Sensex was down 0.1%.

U.S. futures climbed, with the contract for the S&P 500 up 0.5% while that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.4%.

On Friday, Wall Street’s losses deepened as the war again pushed prices above $100 per barrel, ratcheting up inflationary pressure on the global economy.

The S&P 500 fell 0.6% to 6,632.19. The benchmark index is now down 3.1% so far this year.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.3% to 46,558.47. The Nasdaq composite finished 0.9% lower, at 22,105.36. Those indexes also ended the week with their third straight weekly loss.

Iran has retaliated against attacks by Israel and the U.S. by effectively stopping cargo traffic through the narrow Strait of Hormuz, where a fifth of the world’s oil typically sails. That has oil producers cutting production because their crude has nowhere to go.

In just over a week since the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, more than 12 million barrels of oil equivalent per day have been taken offline, according to independent research firm Rystad Energy.

However a handful of tankers have reportedly passed through the strait, adding to uncertainty.

“The truth is that at this point, much of the market is operating in the fog,” Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a commentary. “For context, the strait normally handles roughly 25 oil and LNG tankers every single day.”

If the war continues to hamper the production and transportation of oil from the Persian Gulf, it could cause a damaging surge in inflation.

Members of the International Energy Agency are making a record 400 million barrels of oil available from emergency reserves, though it appears to have done little to reassure markets.

Higher expectations for inflation complicate the Federal Reserve’s efforts to bring interest rates lower to help the economy. The U.S. central bank is not expected to cut rates at its policy meeting this week.

A new snapshot of consumer spending Friday shows inflation crept higher in January, even before the Iran war caused oil and gas prices to spike.

The Commerce Department reported Friday that consumer prices rose 2.8% in January compared with a year earlier. But excluding volatile food and energy, core prices rose 3.1%, the highest jump in nearly two years.

Even so, consumers still lifted their spending at a solid 0.4% pace in January, with their incomes rising at the same pace, according to the report.

The University of Michigan’s latest gauge of consumer sentiment on Friday showed consumer sentiment declined slightly to its lowest reading of the year as gasoline price hikes since the start of the war in Iran.

Wall Street also got an update on how U.S. economic growth fared in the October-December quarter. The economy, hobbled by last fall’s 43-day government shutdown, grew at a sluggish 0.7% annual rate, a downgrade from its initial estimate last month.

In other trading early Monday, the U.S. dollar slipped to 159.47 Japanese yen from 159.55 yen. The euro rose to $1.1442 from $1.1425.

Source:adaderana.lk

Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet is reportedly set to join the cast of the upcoming Middle-earth filmThe Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, marking a major addition to the beloved fantasy franchise. The film will be directed by Andy Serkis, who is also expected to reprise his iconic role as Gollum.

According to multiple reports, Winslet will play the female lead in the movie, although specific details about her character have been kept under wraps. The project is part of Warner Bros.’ renewed effort to expand the cinematic universe based on the works of J. R. R. Tolkien.

The film is expected to bring back several familiar faces from the original trilogy. Actors Elijah Wood and Ian McKellen are reportedly returning as Frodo Baggins and Gandalf, respectively, reuniting fans with characters that defined the earlier Middle-earth films.

The Hunt for Gollum will explore events set between The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring, focusing on the time when Gandalf suspects that the ring possessed by Frodo may actually be the One Ring. The story is expected to follow the search for Gollum, whose knowledge about the ring could pose a threat if discovered by the forces of Sauron.

The film will also reunite much of the original creative team behind the blockbuster franchise, with Peter Jackson involved as a producer alongside longtime collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. Production is expected to take place in New Zealand later this year, with the film currently scheduled for a global theatrical release on December 17, 2027.

For Winslet, best known for her role in Titanic and Avatar films, joining the Middle-earth saga marks another high-profile project in her already celebrated career. 

Source: adaderana.lk

Dubai’s international airport was gradually resuming flights on Monday, authorities said, after a fire caused by a drone attack forced a temporary suspension, further disrupting traffic in one of the world’s busiest air travel hubs.

The U.S.-Israel war against Iran has thrown global aviation into turmoil, with flights cancelled, rescheduled and rerouted, as most Middle East airspace stays shut over fears of missile and drone attacks, while the crisis sends fuel prices soaring.

Monday’s incident pointed to ⁠the challenges for UAE airlines and the wider aviation industry in the effort to ramp up capacity and return operations to normal.

It is the third attack at the Dubai international airport (DXB) since Iran launched assaults on Gulf nations on February 28, with strikes Tehran has said aim at the U.S. presence in the region.

While the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf countries host U.S. military facilities, Iran has used missiles and drones to target civilian facilities such as airports, hotels and ports.

In a statement on X, the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority flagged a ‘‘gradual resumption’’ of some flights to selected destinations, the Dubai Media Office ⁠said.

The Emirates airline said it expected to partially resume operations at 06:00 GMT following the attack, which affected a fuel tank near the airport, but caused no injuries.

Some flights had been cancelled, Emirates added on its website, while sister airline flydubai also halted flights temporarily. Some flights were diverted to the Al Maktoum International Airport.

Gulf Arab ⁠states have faced more than 2,000 missile and drone attacks since February 28, with targets including U.S. diplomatic missions and milit:ary bases but also key oil infrastructure as well as homes and offices.

The United Arab Emirates, which normalised ⁠relations with Iran’s arch-foe Israel in 2020, has faced the brunt of the attacks. But all Gulf Arab states have been affected, and all have condemned Iran.

On March 11, two drones fell near the ⁠international airport, which suffered damage on the first day of the conflict during an Iranian attack across Gulf states.

Source: adaderana.lk

Harry Styles has topped the UK album charts for a third time with his latest album, Kiss All The Time. Disco Occasionally.

According to the Official Charts Company, the record sold more than 183,000 copies after its release last Friday, eclipsing the first week numbers of his previous album, Harry’s House, which shifted 113,000 copies in 2022.

Some 66,000 of those albums were sold on vinyl - making it the biggest-selling physical release of the year.

The achievements come despite lukewarm reviews for the record, with The Telegraph saying it had “all the emotional heft of a perfume advert”.

The Guardian also gave it three stars, describing the listening experience as “nice all the time, good, occasionally”.

“The music on Styles’ new album is muted, subtle and pleasant – but from the title downwards, he has a real problem with words,” said the paper’s chief music critic, Alexis Petridis.

NME was more positive, saying Styles sounded “liberated and full of light, even in [his] more melancholy moments”; while Clash magazine said the album was “a successful embrace of personal, and above all sensual, evolution”.

The BBC’s own review noted that there was a disconnect between the “muscular” songs and the “existential crisis” of Styles’ lyrics, concluding: “As a portrait of an artist at a crossroads, it’s compellingly knotty.”

In interviews, the musician has said the album was inspired by his attempt to re-enter the real world after his 22-month Love On Tour tour.

He described those attempts as “saying yes to everything”, spending time as an audience member and remembering what it felt like to get lost in a crowd, dancing and singing with strangers.

“When you close certain doors off to protect yourself, you also shut out a lot of positive things,” he told BBC Radio 1’s Jack Saunders.

“So, I think, for me, it was about being more open, trusting [and] leaning into meeting new people and making new friends and going with the momentum of what it meant to say yes to things for a while.

“And it just really defined the record that I made. It was about me experiencing the world in a way that was different from how I’d experienced it for a long time.

“I think it’s encouraging the audience to have their own experiences and and be open to the world.”

Styles launched the album with a special concert in Manchester, which was filmed and released as a Netflix special on Sunday.

It helped Kiss All The Time... achieve the biggest opening week of the year, said the Official Charts Company.

It’s also the biggest opening week for a male solo artist in nine years, since Ed Sheeran’s ÷ (Divide) in 2017.

Styles also topped this week’s singles chart with American Girls, with two further songs in the top five - Aperture at number four and Ready, Steady, Go! at five.

His success means that British artists have occupied the number one position on the album charts for each of the first 11 weeks of 2026 - the first time this has happened in a decade.

Styles joins Olivia Dean, Robbie Williams, Louis Tomlinson, Charli XCX, Mumford & Sons and Gorillaz as a recent chart-topper - but the run could be broken by the long-awaited return of K-Pop idols BTS next week.

“This phenomenal 11-week run is just the latest evidence of what an incredibly exciting time it is for British music right now,” said Dr Jo Twist, head of music industry body the BPI.

With new releases on the horizon by Raye, Arlo Parks and Jessie Ware, “we can look ahead with a genuine sense of optimism,” she added.

The news came in the same week that the BPI announced that the UK’s music industry had generated a record £1.57 billion in 2025.

Source: adaderana.lk

The Ministry of Energy has announced the nationwide implementation of a QR code-based fuel distribution system beginning at 6.00 a.m. on Sunday, March 15.

Under the new system, fuel will only be issued to vehicles that are registered and possess a valid QR code. Vehicle owners must register or download their QR codes through the official Fuel Pass platform at https://fuelpass.gov.lk/.

According to the ministry, the decision was taken due to disruptions in global fuel supply routes caused by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which has led to increased demand for fuel in Sri Lanka. Authorities stated that careful management of existing fuel reserves is necessary to maintain essential economic activities in the country.

The ministry also noted that illegal hoarding and fuel rackets carried out by certain groups have contributed significantly to the sudden spike in demand. The QR code system has therefore been introduced to curb such practices and ensure that fuel supplies reach the general public without disruption.

From March 15 onward, no fuel station will dispense fuel without the QR code verification system.

Vehicle owners who have previously registered for the QR code can download it through the website starting midnight on March 14, provided there have been no changes to vehicle ownership or the registered phone number. If any details have changed, users are required to re-register from 6.00 a.m. on March 15.

Meanwhile, vehicles that have not been registered previously with the Department of Motor Traffic must complete the registration process through the same website beginning at 6.00 a.m. on March 15.

The ministry added that separate arrangements will be implemented for vehicles used in essential services and production sectors to ensure uninterrupted operations.

Under the new distribution plan, weekly fuel quotas have been set for different categories of vehicles. These include 60 litres for buses, 5 litres for motorcycles, 15 litres for motor cars, 40 litres for vans, 200 litres for motor lorries, 25 litres for land vehicles, 15 litres for three-wheelers, 40 litres for special purpose vehicles, and 5 litres for quadricycles.

Officials say the new system is intended to regulate fuel distribution effectively while safeguarding economic activities across the country.