Tag: pandemic

Hong Kong imposes first lockdown due to surge in covid-19 cases
23Jan By Joe RodriguezNo Comments
Asia, USA

Hong Kong imposes first lockdown due to surge in covid-19 cases

The government in Hong Kong has imposed its first COVID-19 lockdown in Jordan, a neighbourhood on the Kowloon Peninsula, after a sudden rise in the number of coronavirus cases.A statement read: The government made a “restriction-testing declaration”, which requires residents from parts of the bustling neighborhood of Jordan to stay in their premises and undergo compulsory testing arranged by the government.Residents will be required to stay at their homes until all the residents are subjected to mandatory testing, which the authorities aim to complete under the time frame of 48 hours.Thousands of Hong Kong residents are affected by the lockdown, said the government’s information office.Wong Kam-sin, Hong Kong’s Secretary for the Environment, said that the water from the pipes of several bu...
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J&K govt withdraws 30% fare hike on public transport
3Dec By Joe RodriguezNo Comments
Asia, Singapore

J&K govt withdraws 30% fare hike on public transport

The Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Government has withdrawn 30 per cent fare hike on public transport in the union territory which was earlier imposed in view of the coronavirus pandemic.Government has accorded sanction to the withdrawal of “30 percent of fare hike on authorized fare” ordered vide government order no: 30 JK (TR) of 2020 dated 22-06-2020 in view of restrictions imposed on seat capacity of stage carriage passenger vehicles due to covid-19 pandemic, an order said.“Only authorized fare (charged prior to the issuance of government order number 31: JK (TR) of 2020 dated 22-06-2020) shall be charged from the passengers by the operators of stage carriage passenger vehicles in the Union Territory,” the order read.“Any violation of this order shall strictly be dealt with under the prov...
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Defence Budget: Pakistan’s misplaced priorities
17Jun By Joe RodriguezNo Comments
Asia

Defence Budget: Pakistan’s misplaced priorities

For a country suffering through a pandemic and whose economy is crashing, putting more money for defence seems illogical. But this is exactly what the Imran Khan government has proposed in a grim reminder of how much Islamabad’s priorities are misplaced.The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government has proposed 11.9 per cent increase in the country’s defence budget.The budget document shows that the defence outlay for 2020-21 would be Pakistani Rs 1,289 billion as compared to Pakistani Rs 1,152 billion earmarked for the ongoing fiscal year.A closer look at the budget details revealed that Rs 1,289 billion figure does not include Pakistani Rs 369 billion allocated for pensions of retired military personnel and Pakistani Rs 324 billion for the armed forces development programme.“The defence budget...
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