Church services in Sri Lanka to resume from May 5

Colombo: Public mass in the terror-hit Sri Lanka would resume in certain Catholic churches from May 5 and no bags will be allowed inside as part of the tight security measures, according to Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith.Colombo: Public mass in the terror-hit Sri Lanka would resume in certain Catholic churches from May 5 and no bags will be allowed inside as part of the tight security measures, according to Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith.All public church services were cancelled after the Easter Sunday bomb blasts that ripped through three churches and high-end hotels, killing 253 people and injuring 500 others. The prelate said on Monday that vigilance committees formed by the residents of the parish would be responsible to identify individuals who enter their respective churches and parishioners will have to confirm their identity before entering a church. The cardinal, who conducted a private memorial mass on Sunday fearing repeat of the Easter attacks, told media that bags will not be allowed to be taken inside the churches owing to security measures. President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s had also attended the private memorial mass.     Social media ban lifted The Sri Lankan government on Tuesday lifted a nationwide social media ban imposed to curb the spread of misinformation after the devastating Easter Sunday bombings that killed 253 people.According to the information department, President Maithripala Sirisena has instructed the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) to lift the ban on Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube and other popular platforms from April 30. The government has asked the public to share content on social media sites with “utmost responsibility”. The government said it blocked social media in the wake of the Easter Sunday attacks to curb the spread of misinformation among the public. 42 foreigners killedWith the death of two more Chinese nationals, the number of foreigners who died in the massive Easter Sunday bombings on Monday rose to 42, including 11 Indians, according to the Sri Lankan foreign ministry.Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry, in a statement, said that as of Monday April 29, the number of foreign nationals who have been killed in the attack rose to 42. “It includes, one from Bangladesh, four from China, 11 from India, three from Denmark, one each from the US, Japan, the Netherlands and Portugal, Switzerland, two each from Saudi Arabia, Spain, Turkey, six from the UK, two holding US and UK nationalities, one holding Swiss and Dutch nationalities, one holding Dutch and Sri Lankan nationalities, and two holding Australian and Sri Lankan nationalities,” the statement said. (PTI)