Iraq has received $7.9 million in surplus war reparation paid to Kuwait, through a UN commission, due to Baghdad s invasion and occupation of its Gulf neighbour in 1990, the Central Bank of Iraq sai.
From Lithuania, Italy, Korea, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and other many countries the plea is the same: bring us home. From cities and villages across Sri Lanka the plea is the same: bring our family members home.
Since the first Covid-19 case was discovered in Sri Lanka over one year ago, the warnings have been consistent; the country needed a plan to bring home its migrant workers, especially the most vulnerable – women working as domestic helpers in the Middle East.
According to the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE), at least 1.2 million Sri Lankans are employed in other countries, a large proportion in the Middle East. In 2019, their remittances contributed US$ 6.7 billion into the economy, representing eight per cent of the Gross Domestic Product.
The Government has repatriated more than 61,750 Sri Lankans who were destitute in various countries due to the COVID-19 pandemic and nearly 69,000 Sri Lankans from 137 other countries are expecting repatriation, Minister of Labour Nimal Siripala De Silva revealed in Parliament yesterday (08) . The Minister made this observation answering a series of questions asked under the