Colombage Melani Manel Perera

The Archbishop of Colombo visiting with the venerable Buddhist Matara Ananda Sagara Thero at the beach devastated by the May 20 environmental disaster. "Voices should be raised against corrupt companies to demand an international investigation and cleanup."

Children returned to school today, but the teachers plan to continue protesting against the government, which does not want to grant them higher wages. Many parents are critical of the government’s decision; for them, priority should be given to pupils with exams to take and high school children who have been vaccinated.

The 2021 Global Hunger Index ranks Sri Lanka as a country with a “moderate” risk of hunger. One of the problems is farmland management. Anthony Jesudasan notes that 37,000 hectares have not yet to be distributed among young Tamils.

Gas, milk, and flour cost twice as much. Some women's groups are speaking out against the government's economic policies. At a market in downtown Colombo, kerosene stoves were sold out in two days due to higher energy prices.

The All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama published a booklet against extremism calling on the faithful to “practise moderation”. Saddened by the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks, they criticise those who instigate hatred and forget the contributions of Muslims to the nation.

A group of NGOs highlighted the issue on World Habitat Day, noting that poverty and land seizures are a main factor. “About 800 families still live in IDP camps,” laments the Rural Labour Society of Jaffna.

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Sri Lanka announced a special Marian prayer for October to save the country from COVID-19 and other sufferings.

For more than two months, teachers have been on strike demanding the government increase their salaries. Distance learning has also stopped in a country still struggling with COVID-19. Catholic bishops want political leaders to get children back into schools.

For months, a Sinhala cancer patient cancer was accompanied in prayer by a Tamil friend via an online application. Now the disease has disappeared.

Catholics have called for an investigation into allegations made by Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero, general secretary of the nationalist Bodu Bala Sena organisation. Catholic Church official has denied the monk’s claim that he warned Cardinal Ranjith about the Easter Sunday attacks.

At the G20 Interfaith Forum in Bologna, the Sri Lankan prime minister described a reality that does not exist in the country. He failed to mention the 2019 Easter attacks and did not condemn Buddhist supremacism, which is seen by many as the main culprit of the climate of religious intolerance in the country. Last night some Sri Lankans staged a protest outside the place where the prime minister was staying demanding justice.

Sri Lankan Catholics cannot yet meet for Mass due to the risk of contagion. Yesterday, Catholic associations took turns in reciting the rosary online. The vaccination campaign is proceeding but some 3,000 new cases were reported today.