The foreign remittance component in bridging the country’s growing trade deficit dropped from 83 percent in 2010 to 53 percent in 2011, due to the doubling of the trade deficit last year, statistics to be released tomorrow by the Central Bank reveal.

The leader of the JVP dissident group and a key activist of the party have gone missing on the eve of the launch of their new party amidst claims they have been abducted. JVP dissident leader Premakumar Gunaratnam and party activist Dimuthu Atygalle were reportedly abducted by unknown groups.