SRI LANKA GIVES GOVERNMENT WORKERS EXTRA DAY OFF A WEEK

Sri Lanka is giving government officials an extra day off a week to encourage them to grow food, amid fears of a food shortage. The country has around one million public sector employees. The island nation that is home to around 22 million, faces its worst economic crisis in more than 70 years, experts say. Sri Lanka is struggling to pay for critical imports such as food, fuel and medicine as it faces a severe shortage of foreign currencies. The government late on Monday approved a proposal for public sector workers to be given leave every Friday for the next three months.