Christmas celebrated around the world under the pandemic’s shadow

Vatican City: Christmas festivities began Friday, with hundreds of millions across the world under coronavirus restrictions celebrating a pared-down version of a holiday typically marked by travel and large gatherings.

The battle to halt the pandemic, which has claimed more than 1.7 million lives, is far from over despite the launching of mass vaccine campaigns that offer the promise of an eventual return to normalcy.

Churches across South Korea stood largely empty, with worshippers congregating online as the country reported a new daily caseload record.

“It really is heartbreaking to see,” said Park Jae-woo, a member of the Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul which would usually expect up to 10,000 worshippers, but on Friday was only able to welcome 15 staff and choir members.

And in Catholic-majority Philippine, services were rocked when a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck the country, capping off a troubled yuletide already muted by bans on parties and carol singing.

Despite warm weather, the usual picnicking crowds also avoided the sands of Sydney’s Bondi Beach, while the waves were empty of surfing Santas and patrolling police officers enforced social distancing rules.

Pope Francis, spiritual leader of 1.3 billion Catholics across the globe, celebrated Christmas Eve mass in St Peter’s Basilica before fewer than 200 masked faithful, mostly employees of the tiny state of Vatican City.

The mass, traditionally held at midnight, had been moved forward by two hours to 7:30 pm (1830 GMT) to meet Italy’s curfew rules.

Papal mass

Before the pandemic hit, several thousand believers and tourists had obtained precious tickets to attend the papal mass.

On Thursday evening, St Peter’s Square, usually thronged with people on Christmas Eve was deserted, illuminated by the glow of its towering Christmas tree and the lights of a police car.

Tough new coronavirus restrictions were imposed on Thursday over the Christmas and New Year period across Italy, the country hardest hit by the virus in Europe, with nearly 71,000 deaths and more than two million cases since the beginning of the pandemic.

The Christmas Eve mass commemorates the birth of Jesus of Nazareth in Bethlehem.

In his homily, the Argentinean pope stressed that the birth of a child reminds us not to spend our days “lamenting our lots, but soothing the tears of those who suffer”, serving “the poor”.

Francis, who just celebrated his 84th birthday, will address his eighth Christmas message “Urbi et orbi” (“to the city and the world”) Friday by video from the apostolic palace, to prevent a crowd from gathering in St Peter’s Square.

Bethlehem, where Christians believe Jesus was born, was preparing for a Christmas unlike any in its recent history.

Holiday season

The Christmas Eve mass at the Church of the Nativity is traditionally the highlight of a holiday season that sees hundreds of thousands of visitors flock to the Palestinian city in the occupied West Bank.

The mass online this year, with only clergy and select individuals allowed inside the basilica, which was sterilised Thursday ahead of the service.

“Everyone feels darkened, tired, exhausted, oppressed for too long under the heavy burden of this pandemic that besieges our lives,” said the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa.

In war-ravaged northeast Syria, hundreds of residents of a predominantly Christian neighbourhood in the town of Qamishli ditched face masks and donned Santa hats, throwing caution to the wind to celebrate a Christmas tree lighting ceremony.

“We were concerned celebrations would be cancelled this year due to the novel coronavirus, but as you can see everyone is here celebrating and we are happy,” said Maria Danhou, a 36-year-old mother of two.

Germany has been forced to cancel its famous Christmas markets, while in Kuwait, churches were closed until January 10 despite being home to a large Christian community.

For many, the isolation that has defined the past year will continue into Christmas Day and beyond - such as in Belgium, where residents are largely limited to welcoming a single visitor.

Britons, meanwhile, were cut off from swathes of the world, due to the emergence of a new Covid-19 strain.

Some UK border restrictions have been temporarily relaxed for the holidays, but thousands from other European countries are still stranded in England.

“Home for Christmas? Forget it,” said Laurent Beghin, a French truck driver who delivered his cargo but was still stuck days later.

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Zulfikar Bukhari vows to improve Pakistan’s ties with UAE and KSA

Islamabad: Pakistan’s overseas minister has vowed to bolster Pakistan’s ties with Gulf countries particularly the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia, expanding business, cultural and tourism ties while expressing his gratitude to the UAE and Saudi leadership for continued cooperation with Pakistan.

In a special interview with Gulf News, Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari, Pakistan’s Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (HRD), said the ministry is endeavouring to improve Pakistan’s ties with different countries especially the UAE and Saudi Arabia – top destinations for Pakistani workers.

Highlighting Pakistan’s relations with brotherly Gulf countries, Zulfi Bukhari said that the UAE has always been in close cooperation with Pakistan in diverse fields.

“Previously, we had only been sending labours, but recently, the UAE labour minister informed that Pakistan was the only country that recorded an 11 per cent increase in export of highly-skilled workers to UAE even during the COVID-19 crisis.”

Expanding Tourism ties

Bukhari, who also represents the national tourism board, said that Pakistan is eager to expand tourism ties with UAE and KSA. “UAE is known as a major tourist destination while tourism is now a key priority for Saudi Arabia under its Vision 2030. Pakistan is also heavily investing in world-class facilities” to attract more tourists. “Tourism is a connecting factor where the three countries can enhance collaboration with easy visa and other facilities”. He encouraged the Emirati and Saudi nationals to explore Pakistan’s diverse landscapes ranging from “snowy mountains to dusty deserts to sandy beaches, from green meadows to turquoise lakes as well as ancient historical sites and rich cultural heritage.”

Discussing the challenges faced by the ministry, Bukhari shared that the biggest challenge, now successfully accomplished, was the return of Pakistani expats after the pandemic disrupted world economies. “Pakistan, being a developing country with limited resources, had one of the best repatriation operations in the world with nearly 500,000 returning home” he told Gulf News. At least 60,000 were repatriated from the UAE by June 2020. Most of the 85,000 Pakistanis who had lost jobs in various countries during the first wave of COVID-19 “have been absorbed locally” he claimed. Bukhari is hopeful that increase in exports as well as the boost in industrial and construction sectors would create more jobs very soon.

Grateful to Pakistani expats

The minister expressed sincerest gratitude to Pakistani expats for their generous support during the pandemic. “Pakistanis sent home unlimited donations, helped arrange food for people in need, sent tons of cartons of essential supplies to the embassies, even arranged airline tickets for those who could not afford. For this, I thank them from the bottom of my heart” Bukhari said.

The dynamic minister is determined to improve efficiency and transparency within the office to offer improved facilities and continuous support to the expats, enhancing the ease of doing business by cutting red tape and streamlining processes.

During the last 18 months, the ministry diligently worked with foreign governments to bring back as many as 8,700 Pakistanis jailed abroad, including those 41 who were on death row in Sri Lanka. They will serve the rest of their sentences in Pakistan where they can be closer to their families. “We will stand up for every Pakistani abroad whether he has committed a crime or not and we will bring them back” he vowed. Facilitating Pakistani prisoners, especially those in foreign prisons for petty offences, and workers’ welfare is the priority for the ministry because of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s compassion towards the most vulnerable people.

Rediscover roots and identity

Bukhari, who grew up in the United Kingdom, feels obliged to serve the overseas Pakistanis as he understands the issues faced by the diaspora. “This ministry is not just focused on labour issues now but living up to PM Imran Khan’s vision to serve as a hub to connect professionals and second and third generation migrants with homeland” to re-establish their sense of identity. “They feel more connected to Pakistan and proud of PM Imran Khan who they feel truly represents them.”

Remittances from Pakistani workers employed abroad have remained over $2 billion during the last six months with the UAE and KSA as the key contributors to remittance inflows. “Multiple factors including the travel restrictions due to the pandemic and incentives offered by the State Bank of Pakistan prompted people to utilize proper banking channels but the biggest reason is their trust and confidence in the government.” Initiatives such as Naya Pakistan Certificates (government bonds) and Roshan Digital Accounts (for banking and investment in Pakistan) have done “phenomenally well”. The digital account figures touched $200 million in three months with 59,000 accounts opened by expats from 91 countries. “This year saw the record investment by overseas Pakistanis in the New Blue Area Islamabad commercial district”, he revealed.

Top 5 achievements of Pakistan Overseas Ministry since 2018

1. Nearly a million Pakistanis have been sent abroad for work since 2018 while actively exploring new avenues for Pakistani workforce in European and Far East countries.

2. Pakistan despite its limited resources managed one of the best repatriation programs globally that saw the return of nearly 500,000 people.

3. The support from the central bank and incentives from government helped increase the remittances.

4. The ministry brought home 8,700 Pakistanis imprisoned abroad and vows to bring back all those left behind.

5. Government to offer voting rights to overseas Pakistanis and working on a mechanism to allow dual-nationals to contest elections so that they can give back to their country.

Profile

Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari is Pakistan’s Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (HRD) and the Chairman of National Tourism Coordination Board (NTCB). As a Pakistani-British, he has supported several social causes in Pakistan and in the UK. Bukhari, an entrepreneur, businessman, and philanthropist, is currently on a mission to strengthen the link of Pakistani expats with their homeland and to better support expat families.

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Military chopper crashes in north Pakistan, killing all 4 on board

Multan: A Pakistani army helicopter on a rescue mission crashed overnight, killing all four aboard, the military said Sunday.

The military said the helicopter was transporting the body of a soldier who died after getting trapped in an avalanche when it crashed Saturday evening in the northern Minimarg area of Astore district due to technical reasons.

The dead included the pilot, co-pilot and two soldiers.


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Kamala Harris receives COVID-19 vaccine

Washington: US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris has received the first dose of the Moderna vaccine against the novel coronavirus.

According to the Biden-Harris transition team, Harris was vaccinated on Tuesday by Patricia Cummings, a clinical nurse manager at the United Medical Center.

In a tweet late Tuesday, Harris said: "Today I got the COVID-19 vaccine. I am incredibly grateful to our frontline healthcare workers, scientists, and researchers who made this moment possible.

"When you're able to take the vaccine, get it. This is about saving lives."

Harris' vaccination, which was also broadcast live on TV, came almost a week after President-elect Joe Biden received his.

After receiving the shot, Harris said she wants to "encourage everyone to get the vaccine. It is relatively painless. It happens really quickly. It is safe".

The Vice President-elect also confirmed that her husband, Doug Emhoff, would be receiving the first dose of the Moderna vaccine on Tuesday, CNN reported.

"I want to remind people that right in your community is where you can take the vaccine, where you will receive the vaccine, by folks you may know, folks who are otherwise working in the same hospital where your children were born.

"Folks who are working in the same hospital where an elderly relative received the kind of care that they needed," CNN quoted Harris as saying.

The US Food and Drug Administration has granted emergency use authorization (EUA) for two Covid-19 vaccines: one from Pfizer/BioNTech and one from Moderna.

The two vaccines have shown similar efficacy levels of near 95 per cent, and both require two doses administered several weeks apart.

On December 18, Vice President Mike Pence, Second Lady Karen Pence, Surgeon General Jerome Adams,House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination all on live TV, in a bid to instill confidence among Americans.

President Donald Trump, who had tested positive for the virus in October, is yet to get vaccinated.

As of Wednesday morning, the US, currently the hardest-hit country in the world by the pandemic, has registered a total of 19,299,960 confirmed coronavirus cases and 334,830 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

Both tallies are the highest in the world.

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Nigeria school abductions sparked by cattle feuds, not extremism, officials say

Lagos: The kidnap of 344 schoolboys in northwest Nigeria had the appearance of an Islamist militant attack. There was even a video purporting to show some of the boys with members of Boko Haram, the extremists behind the 2014 kidnapping of more than 270 schoolgirls in the northeast.

But four government and security officials familiar with negotiations that secured the boys release told Reuters the attack was a result of inter-communal feuding over cattle theft, grazing rights and water access “ not spreading extremism.

The mass abduction of children in Katsina state would mark a dramatic turn in clashes between farmers and herders that have killed thousands of people across Africa’s most populous nation in recent years, posing a challenge to authorities also battling a decade-long Islamist insurgency in the northeast.

Officials in Katsina and neighbouring Zamfara, where the boys were released after six days, said the attack was carried out by a gang of mostly semi-nomadic ethnic Fulanis, including former herders who turned to crime after losing their cows to cattle rustlers.

“They have local conflicts that they want to be settled, and they decided to use this (kidnapping) as a bargaining tool,” said Ibrahim Ahmad, a security adviser to the Katsina state government who took part in the negotiations through intermediaries.

Such groups are known more for armed robberies and small-scale kidnappings for ransom.

Cattle herders in the northwest are mainly Fulani, whereas farmers are mostly Hausa. For years, farmers have complained of herders letting their cows stray on to their land to graze, while herdsmen have complained their cows are being stolen.

Negotiations

Dozens of gunmen arrived on motorcycles at the Government Science Secondary School on Dec. 11 in the town of Kankara in Katsina. They marched the boys into a vast forest that extends from Katsina into Zamfara.

Officials in both states told Reuters they established contact with the kidnappers through their clan, a cattle breeders’ association and former gang members who participated in a Zamfara amnesty programme.

The intermediaries met the kidnappers in Ruga forest on several occasions before they agreed to release the boys, according to Zamfara Governor Bello Matawalle and security sources including Ahmad.

The gang accused vigilante groups, set up to defend farming communities against banditry, of killing Fulani herders and stealing their cows, Matawalle and Ahmad said. They also made similar accusations against members of a Katsina state committee set up to investigate cattle theft, Ahmad added.

He said he was not aware of any such incidents, but said a police investigation had been launched. No ransom was paid for the boys’ release, according to officials in both states.

Reuters could not reach the gang for comment. A spokesman for the herders association, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders’ Association of Nigeria, declined to discuss the negotiations.

Gangs such as these have carried out attacks across the northwest, making it hard for locals to farm, travel or tap rich mineral deposits in some states. They were responsible for more than 1,100 deaths in the first half of 2020 alone, according to rights group Amnesty International.

Boko Haram, based in the northeast, has sought to forge alliances with some of them and released videos this year claiming to have received pledges of allegiance, said Jacob Zenn, a Nigeria expert at the U.S.-based Jamestown Foundation think tank.

A man identifying himself as Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau claimed responsibility for the schoolboys’ kidnappings in an unverified audio recording. Soon after, the video started circulating on social media.

However, one boy who spoke in the video later told Nigerias Arise television that he did not believe the kidnappers when they told him to say he was being held by Boko Haram.

“Sincerely speaking, they are not Boko Haram... They are just small and tiny, tiny boys with big guns, said the boy, who did not give his name.

Nigerian Information Minister Lai Mohammed also dismissed Boko Haram’s claim at a Dec. 18 news conference, saying: “They just want to claim that they are still a potent force.

“The boys were abducted by bandits, not Boko Haram,” Mohammed said.

Independent security experts said the kidnappers appeared to have drawn inspiration from the militants and may have received advice, but most were sceptical of any direct involvement.

Cheta Nwanze, lead partner at Lagos-based risk consultancy firm SBM Intelligence, said direct Boko Haram involvement was unlikely because of the “logistics of getting to an area that is unfamiliar” to them.

Tension

“Its beyond their current capabilities,” he said. “The northwest is an ungoverned area controlled by other groups.” Tension between farming and herding communities has been growing in the northwest, where population growth and climate change have increased competition for resources, analysts said.

The day after the boys were returned to their families in Kankara and other towns, another gang briefly abducted some 80 students who were returning from a trip organised by an Islamic school.

The kidnappers released the children after a gunfight with police and a local vigilante group, state police said.

“All the bandits were Fulanis and are over 100 in number,” Abdullahi Sada, who led the vigilantes, told Reuters.

He said some of his men were armed with bows and arrows while others had guns made by local blacksmiths.

He denied any knowledge of attacks by vigilantes against Fulani herders, saying: “I have no idea of any such thing happening in my area.” Nastura Ashir Shariff, who chairs the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG), an influential civil society group, blamed a scarcity of police for such clashes, saying communities were taking law enforcement into their own hands.

Whoever was responsible for the Kankara kidnappings, Ummi Usman, whose 14-year-old son Mujtaba was among those captured, said she was not sure whether to send him back to school.

“He is still in extreme fear whenever he remembers what they went through at the hands of their abductors,” she said. “Some of them were threatening the students that they will be back.”

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207 killed in Wednesday Ethiopia attack: Rights commission

Addis Ababa: A total of 207 people were killed in a Wednesday attack by gunmen in western Ethiopia, the country's Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said, more than doubling a previous count.

The independent government body had on Wednesday said 100 people were killed in their sleep and crops burned in a pre-dawn assault in the Metekel area of the Benishangul-Gumuz region.

"133 of the victims were adult men and 35 were adult women. Seventeen children, one of whom a six-month-old baby, and 20 elderly persons were killed," the EHRC said in a statement posted to Twitter late Friday.

Mostly inhabited by ethnic Shinasha, Oromo and Amhara people - the last two making up Ethiopia's most numerous groups - the Metekel area has suffered a string of deadly attacks in recent months.

Local leaders blame ethnic Gumuz people for the violence.

Following Wednesday's attack, "effort is underway to identify the victims with the help of survivors and identity cards," the EHRC said.

The body repeated its appeal for "relevant authorities to provide urgently humanitarian assistance to the victims and persons displaced by the attack."

It added that around 10,000 had fled the Bekuji Kebele area and made for the city of Bulen, around 40 kilometres (25 miles) away, which is already sheltering "thousands of displaced persons".

"Bulen city is overwhelmed. The roads leading to the city are still teeming with displaced persons and their herds of cattle," one eyewitness told the commission.

Regional authorities said on Thursday that troops had killed 42 armed men alleged to have taken part in the massacre, without giving details about their identities.

"The massacre in the Benishangul-Gumuz region is very tragic," Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said in a Twitter post on Thursday, conceding the government's efforts to solve the problem "had not yielded results".

In October, he had said that fighters "armed and trained" in Sudan's neighbouring Blue Nile state were behind the violence and urged Khartoum to tackle the problem.

Abiy claimed that the latest attack had been aimed at "dividing the significant force" deployed to the country's dissident northern Tigray region.

There is no known link between the violence in Benishangul-Gumuz and military operations in Tigray.

Thousands have been killed in the Tigray conflict, according to the International Crisis Group think tank, and more than 50,000 people have fled over the border into Sudan.

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Pakistan steps up drive to encourage spread of electric vehicles

Islamabad: The Pakistan government announced new measures encouraging the use of electric vehicles (EVs) as part of ab ambitious shift towards clean energy and emission-free future.

The federal cabinet has approved huge tax exemptions on four-wheeler electric vehicles, Federal Minister for Industries and Production Hammad Azhar confirmed. (The policy for two-wheeler and three-wheeler EVs was also approved earlier.)

One of the major incentives is 1 per cent sales tax for locally developed EVs of up to 50 kwh and light commercial vehicles (LCVs) up to 150 kwh. The cabinet also capped the duty on import of charging equipment at 1 per cent, and removed additional customs duty (ACD) on import of electric vehicles. The import of plant and machinery for the manufacturing of these vehicles would also be duty-free.

Domestic thrust

There will be only 1 per cent tax on the import of EV parts for manufacturers in an attempt to boost local production. The government has also waived registration and annual renewal fee for EVs in Islamabad to promote the adoption of eco-friendly cars in the city.

30% by 2030

Pakistan’s ministry of climate change has earlier announced to switch over to 30 per cent electric vehicles by 2030 under the National Electric Vehicles Policy. Climate Change Advisor Malik Amin Aslam has said that electric vehicles will “revolutionise” the transportation industry in Pakistan and reduce the import bill by $2 billion every year. 

Recently, Pakistan announced battery-powered electric buses in Islamabad in collaboration with a European electric bus company in a bid to shift the public transport towards cleaner energy.

Highlights of Pakistan’s EV policy:

• Federal excise duty (FED) removed on EVs

• Additional customs duty and additional sales tax slashed on imports of electronic vehicles

• Only 1% tax on imports car parts for manufacturers

• Registration and annual renewal of electric cars free for residents of Islamabad capital territory.

• Sales tax reduced to 1% for electric cars between 50kwh and 150kwh that are made in Pakistan

• Import of EV charging equipment capped at 1%

• Duty free import plant and machinery for manufacturing of EVs.

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