VIF Neighbourhood News Digest: November 18, 2020

PAKISTAN

Pakistan sets aside $100m to buy Covid vaccine: DAWN

While an estimated cost of the Covid-19 vaccine is not yet available, Prime Minister Imran Khan has approved a $100 million allocation and allowed advance payment for procurement of the vaccine at the earliest. Moreover, it has been decided that different segments of society, such as senior citizens, health practitioners and people suffering from chronic diseases, will be prioritised for the vaccine that will be available in limited numbers during the ongoing winter season. Click here to read... [2]

AFGHANISTAN

District Police Chief Killed in Faryab Roadside Bomb Blast: TOLO News

Five security force members including Safar Mohammad Bidar, the police chief for Qaramqul district in Faryab province were killed in a roadside bomb blast in the province on Wednesday morning, police said. The incident when the police chief was on his way to support security forces who were “under Taliban attack” in an area in the district, said Abdul Karim Yourish, spokesman for Faryab police chiefClick here to read... [3]

BANGLADESH

Reactor pressure vessel, steam generator for 1st Power Unit delivered to Rooppur NPP Construction site: Dhaka Tribune

On November 10, a special barge delivered reactor pressure vessel for VVER-1200 and a steam generator to the nuclear power plant construction site. Earlier, on October 20, the equipment arrived on the cargo vessel called “Daisy” at Mongla port, where it was reloaded onto a river barge. The transportation of heavy-weight equipment (the weight of the reactor vessel - 333.6 tons, the steam generator - 340 tons) to the Rooppur NPP construction site took almost 2.5 months. Click here to read... [4]

NEPAL

Number of Covid-19 deaths far higher than what the government claims, officials say: The Kathmandu Post

As of Tuesday, the number of deaths from Covid-19 in the country stands at 1,247. So far, 211,475 have been infected. The fatality rate, therefore, works out to be 0.59 percent. But according to multiple sources at the Ministry of Health and Population and the Covid-19 Crisis Management Centre, the number of deaths from coronavirus infection is far more than what the government claims. Click here to read... [5]

SRI LANKA

Development budget to elevate a shattered economy: PM: Daily Mirror

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, in his capacity as the Finance Minister, read out the budget speech envisaging the new government’s development priorities and policies aimed at reviving the shattered economy. The policies have been designed for boosting local manufacturing and reducing import dependency. The budget, the first fully-fledged one after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s ascendancy to office in November, last year, has been designed to achieve what he promised in the run-up to the electionClick here to read... [6]