Sponsored by St. Nicholas Sunday School in Munnakkara, the event saw a simple object, adorned with images of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and the saints, become an opportunity to rediscover the joy of Christian life. For Father Nishan, it provided an opportunity to experience “the spiritual and relaxing atmosphere of a family united in God.”
The government has introduced a measure to facilitate the issuing of temporary driver's licences upon arrival at Katunayake International Airport. Following the 2019 church attacks and the COVID-19 pandemic, the tourism sector is experiencing a fragile recovery. The new provision risks undermining self-employed workers.
Villages in northern Sri Lanka have been protesting for weeks against the second phase of a 50 MW wind power project. The latter has “serious environmental consequences”, Fr Marcus Adigalar, parish priest of Thalaimannar, told AsiaNews. The project impacts marine and coastal ecosystems. Dissanayake is open to dialogue. Young people are calling for permits to be cancelled and a protected area to be created.
Tomorrow, 15 August, is the deadline set by the Mahaweli Authority for “unauthorised possession of government land”. Over 500 families have already left out of fear. Farmers tell AsiaNews: ‘The army supported us, we survived the war.’ The crops have been there since 1955, then resumed in 2010 due to an attack by the Tamil Tigers.
90 boys and girls walked 27 km from Balangoda to the Shrine of Our Lady of the Assumption, Thanjanthenna. Fr Hariharan Rajappriya: ‘Pilgrimage to understand life’. Accompanied by concern for the environment with the participation of Buddhist monk Wekandawala Rahula Thero. Bishop Croos: ‘Young people united thanks to new and diverse work’.
In 2024, a record number of Indian fishermen were arrested, over 500 in one year. The problem has grown since the end of the internal conflict in 2009. The people of the north, already scarred by war, are paying the price. Calls for the application of international standards in the sector.
