Leader of the House Bimal Rathnayake alleged in Parliament today that a climate of extremism was deliberately cultivated to facilitate the return of the Rajapaksa regime, which lost power in 2015.

The Minister was speaking during the adjournment debate on the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks.

“The Easter Sunday attack cannot be taken as an isolated incident. There was a need to create a situation for the Rajapaksas to return. On one hand, they attempted this by creating a political rift between President Maithripala Sirisena and Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe. They weakened the government, but it was not sufficient as the 2015 mandate was very strong,” he said.

He claimed that what he termed an “objective situation” was engineered beginning in 2013, with the involvement of intelligence agencies.

“The Rajapaksas created an objective situation. They started this in 2013 by creating and maintaining Sinhala and Muslim extremist groups through intelligence agencies. The culmination of this was similar to the Cambridge Analytica incident,” Rathnayake said. (Newswire)

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A youthful and vibrant choir named Speranza, composed of diverse talented voices from Negombo presents “Worthy is the Lamb – 2024”; an evening of choral music and singing on Sunday, 07th of April 2024 from 6.30pm onwards at Maris Stella College Negombo chapel premises welcoming all the choral music enthusiasts to join them as they sing melodies of harmony praising Lord God Almighty.

The programme consists of a meticulous line up of hymns in Latin, English and Sinhala, adding a touch of vibrance and novelty for certain musical arrangements by Speranza’s own renditions. Some of the main hymns that will be performed by the choir are Sanctus and Gloria from Schubert’s Mass in G and evening’s title hymn; Worthy is the Lamb that was slain from Messiah by George Fredric Handel.

Speranza, is a choir of active thirty five young voices in the hearts of Little Rome that blend their voices together to praise God in harmonic brim. Speranza; also, the word for Hope in Italian, inaugurated the choir by participating for school and parishes religious programmes such as carol services, initially formed in the years 2010 as a result of the friendship between few Old Boys of Maris Stella College and Old Girls of the Ave Maria Convent, two of the most prominent colleges in Negombo. Guided and trained by Mr. Francis De Almeida; a beautiful soul Speranza always admires. Ever since then Speranza has been reaching greater heights and crossing many seas by participating for various musical programmes such as “Joy To The World”; a Christmas carol concert held by the Archdiocese of Colombo and singing for three consecutive years in Latin Choral Mass also conducted by the Archdiocese, being trained under the guidance of Gregory Rose; one of the great composers, producer and conductor in the United Kingdom.

Speranza is more than a choir for its members, it’s a family that devote their time to praise God in the most beautiful language in the world; Music. A Christmas carol without Speranza voices for Negombo is out of the ordinary, and an Easter Programme would never be more beautiful than with Speranzian’s heavenly voices. Speranza has successfully conducted three full house concerts in this decade of time; Voice of Speranza, Amore Musica and Cinemalankaaraya, since the year it began singing as a choir with young voices, it was all about diversity, friendship and passion for music that drove these young talents towards devoting their time and efforts to praise God in all ways possible, specifically through singing.

Being a choir driven with passion and love for music, Speranza insists in spreading the message of hope, peace and harmony this Easter by dedicating an evening performing the classical Latin, English and Sinhala melodies to the connoisseur of music. Join Speranza this 7th April Sunday at 6.30pm onwards at the Maris Stella College, Negombo for a splendour evening of choral music with free entrance.

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Pope Francis has renewed calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all Israeli captives in a peace-focused address marking Easter Sunday, the most important day on the Christian calendar.

Francis presided over mass in a packed St Peter’s Square and then delivered his “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) blessing and message from the central balcony of St Peter’s Basilica.

“I appeal once again that access to humanitarian aid be ensured to Gaza, and call once more for the prompt release of the hostages seized on last October 7 and for an immediate ceasefire in the Strip,” he said.

“Let us not allow the current hostilities to continue to have grave repercussions on the civil population, by now at the limit of its endurance, and above all on the children,” he said in a speech that also touched on the plight of Haitians, the Rohingya and victims of human trafficking.

“How much suffering we see in the eyes of children, the children have forgotten to smile in those war zones. With their eyes, children ask us: Why? Why all this death? Why all this destruction? War is always an absurdity and a defeat”, he said.

Francis, 87, has been in poor health in recent weeks, forcing him on repeated occasions to limit his public speaking and cancel engagements as he did on Good Friday, skipping at short notice a procession at Rome’s Colosseum.

However, he took part normally in other Holy Week events leading up to Easter and appeared in relatively good spirits at Sunday’s mass. Easter celebrates the day in which the faithful believe Jesus rose from the dead.

After the service, the pontiff took to his open-topped popemobile to tour the square and the avenue connecting the Vatican to the River Tiber and greet the tens of thousands of people who had lined up to see him.

This year, Francis said his thoughts went particularly to people in Ukraine and Gaza and all those facing war, particularly the children who he said had “forgotten how to smile”. Francis has repeatedly deplored the death and destruction in the Gaza war.

UNICEF reported earlier this month that Israel has killed more than 13,000 children in Gaza since the war began on October 7, while others are suffering from severe malnutrition and do not “even have the energy to cry”.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza on Sunday said at least 32,782 Palestinians have been killed in the besieged enclave during nearly six months of war. The toll includes at least 77 deaths over the past 24 hours, the ministry statement said, adding that 75,298 people have been wounded. (Al Jazeera)

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Special Police operations have been planned to provide security to churches for Good Friday commemorated today (Mar 29) and Easter Sunday celebrated this Sunday, March 31, 2024.

According to the Police, the special security plans are being implemented on the directive of IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon.

The Police said religious observances are to be held in 2,239 churches out of a total of 2,978 churches in the country, during the said days. 

Arrangements have been made to provide the necessary security for around 2,253 churches that are to hold religious observances from today until Sunday.

The Police, Police Special Task Force Personnel, and Intelligence Officials have been deployed for this purpose, while the assistance of the tri-forces is also expected to be requested. (NewsWire)

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