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Muted New Year’s celebrations held around the world
The New Year 2021 was welcomed with fireworks shows and light displays in various countries around the world, with muted celebrations due to the Covid-19 restrictions.
China, Australia, UK, and Russia marked the start of 2021 at midnight on Friday, with millions of people around the world celebrating this New Year at home due to the pandemic.
Hundreds of people gathered in front of the old Hankow Customs House building, a famous New Year’s Eve site in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, to mark the New Year.
Reuters reported that when the building’s old clock reached midnight many people released balloons into the air, cheered, and called out “happy new year”.
A very different New Year’s Eve was held due to Covid-19 in Australia as a shortened fireworks displayed on a vacated harbor while people had to stay home and watch the show via TV.
London has celebrated the New Year with a dazzling light and fireworks show, but the celebrations were muted with people told to stay at home due to coronavirus restrictions, local media reported.
People welcomed the New Year in major cities such as Sydney, Dubai, Bangkok, Moscow, Oceana, Sydney, Baku, Paris, and Tokyo with fireworks and light displays.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special representative for Afghanistan, has questioned Pakistan’s commitment to the welfare of the Afghan people, citing Islamabad’s policies over the past three decades.
Khalilzad said in a post on X that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif advocated for the rights of Afghan women during his speech at the UN General Assembly on Friday.
Sharif said: “Fundamental rights of the Afghan people — especially women and girls — must be respected.”
Responding to the remarks, Khalilzad said Pakistan’s policies over the past 30 years raise questions about Sharif’s commitment to Afghan welfare.
He cited Pakistan’s support for militant groups against US forces and what he described as the poor treatment of Afghan refugees as examples.
Khalilzad also said Afghanistan and Pakistan need and should have much better relations, adding that “a reset is necessary.”
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met with the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Rabab Fatima, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X that Misri underscored the need to keep addressing the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people as a priority.
Misri also appreciated the role of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and reaffirmed India’s continued cooperation with the United Nations on Afghanistan.
The meeting comes as Afghanistan continues to face humanitarian and economic challenges, with international agencies warning of significant needs among the Afghan population.
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi has called for pragmatic and coordinated international engagement with Afghanistan, saying the country’s long-term stability is closely linked to the security and sustainable development of Central Asia.
Speaking during the general debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday, Tileuberdi said humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan remains essential but alone cannot break the cycle of poverty, displacement and dependency.
He said Kazakhstan supports a “pragmatic, coordinated and step-by-step” approach to international engagement with Afghanistan, with the United Nations playing a central role.
Tileuberdi also said Kazakhstan is working with the UN to operationalize the United Nations Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.
He said the success of the centre should be measured by the results and assistance it delivers to the region.
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