Srilanka

The World Bank has forecast Sri Lankaeconomic growth for 2020 at 3.3 percent, the bank said in a statement on Monday.In its latest report of &World BankJanuary 2020 Global Economic Prospects,& the World Bank said for 2021 and 2022, it maintains the same forecast of 3.7 percent of economic growth in Sri Lanka.

The Department of Meteorology today issued Advisory for Strong Wind and Rough seas says The sea area off the coast extending from Puttalam to Beruwala via Colombo can be rough at times as the wind speed can increased up to 60 kmph at times. The sea area off the coast extending from Matara to Pottuvil via Hambantota can be fairly rough at times as the wind speed can increase up to 50 kmph at times. Naval and fishing communities are requested to be vigilant in this regard.

(TAGAYTAY, Philippines) — Red-hot lava gushed out of a Philippine volcano Monday after a sudden eruption of ash and steam that forced villagers to flee and shut down Manilainternational airport, offices and schools.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage from Taal volcanoeruption south of the capital that began Sunday. But clouds of ash blew more than 100 kilometers (62 miles) north, reaching the bustling capital, Manila, and forcing the shutdown of the countrymain airport with more than 240 international and domestic flights cancelled so far.

An alternative airport north of Manila at Clark freeport remained open but authorities would shut it down too if ashfall threatens flights, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines said.

The governmentdisaster-response agency reported about 8,000 villagers have moved to at least 38 evacuation centers in the hard-hit province of Batangas and nearby Cavite province, but officials expect the number to swell with hundreds of thousands more being brought out of harmway. Some residents could not move out of ash-blanketed villages due to a lack of transport and poor visibility. Some refused to leave their homes and farms, officials said.

RELATED STORIES

WORLDVolcano Erupts Near Philippine Capital, Shutting Down Manila Airport

WORLDPhilippine Vice President Says War on Drugs Is a Failure&We have a problem, our people are panicking due to the volcano because they want to save their livelihood, their pigs and herds of cows,& Mayor Wilson Maralit of Balete town told DZMM radio. &We&re trying to stop them from returning and warning that the volcano can explode again anytime and hit them.&

Maralit, whose town lies along the coastline of Taal Lake surrounding the erupting volcano, appealed for troops and additional police to be deployed to stop distraught residents from sneaking back to their high-risk coastal villages.

After months of restiveness that began last year, Taal suddenly rumbled back to life Sunday, blasting steam, ash and pebbles up to 10 to 15 kilometers (6 to 9 miles) into the sky, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

The government volcano-monitoring agency raised the danger level around Taal three notches to level 4, indicating &an imminent hazardous eruption.& Level 5, the highest, means a hazardous eruption is underway and could affect a larger area with high-risk zones that would need to be cleared of people, said Renato Solidum, who heads the institute.

Ma. Antonio Bornas, the agencychief volcanologist, said lava spurted out in fountains out of the volcano early Monday while its ash and steam ejections eased. Ithard to tell when the eruption would stop, she said, citing Taalsimilar restiveness in the 1970s that lasted for about four months.

With the steam and ashfall easing Monday, some residents began to shovel away the few inches of ash that covered everything from homes to cars and trees in Tagaytay, a popular upland resort city on a ridge that overlooks the picturesque volcano in the middle of a crater lake.

Usually bustling with traffic and tourists, many of Tagaytayrestaurants and coffee shops were closed, its main road covered in volcanic filth and mud.

Get The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. I can confirm I have read and accept the Terms Of Use.Please check to proceed.SIGN UP NOWYou may unsubscribe from email communication at any time. See our Privacy Policy for further details.The volcanology institute reminded the public that the small island where the volcano lies is a &permanent danger zone,& although fishing villages have existed there for years. It stressed that the &total evacuation& of people on the volcano island and coastal areas &at high risk to pyroclastic density currents and volcanic tsunami within a 14-kilometer (8.7-mile) radius from Taal.&

Aviation officials must advise airplanes to avoid flying at a certain distance from the volcano &as airborne ash and ballistic fragments from the eruption column pose hazards to aircraft,& it said.

Authorities continue to detect swarms of earthquakes, some of them felt with rumbling sounds, and a slight inflation of portions of the 1,020-foot (311-meter) volcano, officials said and advised residents to stay indoors and wear masks and goggles outdoors.

Government work and classes in schools in a wide swath of towns and cities were suspended Monday, including in Manila, to avoid health risks posed by the ashfall.

One of the worldsmallest volcanoes, Taal is among two dozen active volcanoes in the Philippines, which lies along the so-called Pacific &Ring of Fire,& a seismically active region that is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

About 20 typhoons and other major storms each year also lash the Philippines, which lies between the Pacific and the South China Sea, making it one of the worldmost disaster-prone countries.

Showers will occur at a few places in Sabaragamuwa and Western provinces and in Galle, Matara and Nuwara-Eliya districts in the afternoon or night.Wind speed can increase up to 40 kmph at times over the island particularly in North-western and Western provinces and in Hambanthota and Monaragala districts.