HONG KONG -- The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government announced on Friday that the Chief Executive in Council, in accordance with the Legislative Council Ordinance, has specified Jan. 1, 2022 as the commencement date of the seventh Legislative Council (LegCo) of the HKSAR.

In addition, under the ordinance, the chief executive has specified Jan. 12, 2022 as the date on which the 2022 legislative session is to begin, and 11:00 a.m. local time of Jan. 12, 2022 as the time for holding the first meeting of the seventh LegCo.

Notices announcing the dates and time were published Friday in the HKSAR government gazette. (Hong Kong-LegCo)

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PHNOM PENH -- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a 180-million-U.S.-dollar loan to help three cities in Cambodia improve urban infrastructure and boost economic competitiveness, the ADB said in a statement on Friday.

The Livable Cities Investment Project will help more than 140,000 residents in Bavet, Kampot, and Poipet access better wastewater and solid waste management services, the statement said, adding that Bavet and Popet are entry points to Vietnam and Thailand, respectively, and the port city Kampot has become a tourism destination.

It will help the cities reduce flooding by upgrading their urban stormwater and drainage systems, it said, adding that the project also aims to strengthen the capacity of municipal governments to deliver urban services. (Cambodia-ADB-Loan)

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CANBERRA -- Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called for governments to "step back" out of people's lives and ease COVID-19 restrictions as the vaccination coverage improves amid the country's battle against the third wave of infections.

Morrison on Friday condemned violent protests against proposed pandemic laws in the state of Victoria but said he sympathized with Australians frustrated with the ongoing restrictions.

"I completely and totally and continue to denunciate any violence, any threat, any intimidation," he told reporters. (Australia-COVID-19-Restrictions)

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KABUL -- More than 1 million Afghan refugees have returned or been deported from neighboring Pakistan and Iran since the beginning of this year, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported on Friday.

The undocumented returnees are burdened by debts, and without community support, said IOM Afghanistan on Twitter.

"More than a million Afghan migrants have returned or been deported to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan this year and are in urgent need of support," it said. (Afghanistan-Refugee-IOM) Enditem

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