Environment ministry signs agreement to strengthen marine protection, promote ecotourism    Egypt, WHO discuss expanding health cooperation, development initiatives    Egypt, Sierra Leone discuss expanding cooperation in transport, infrastructure    Gaza under siege, fire: Resistance intensifies amid deepening humanitarian collapse    Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrives in Egypt for high-level talks    Service restoration underway after Cairo telecom fire, minister tells PM    Egypt's PM orders probe, pledges faster network upgrade after Ramsis Exchange blaze    Gold hits over 1-week low on stronger dollar    EGX closed mostly higher on July 9    Korea Culture Week in Egypt to blend K-Pop with traditional arts    Egypt, France FMs review Gaza ceasefire efforts, reconstruction    Egypt, Pakistan boost healthcare ties – Cabinet    UK, Egypt strengthen cooperation on green transition, eco-tourism, and environmental investments    Escalation in Gaza as ceasefire talks remain fragile amid mounting humanitarian crisis    CIB finances Giza Pyramids Sound and Light Show redevelopment with EGP 963m loan    Egypt's PM, Uruguay's president discuss Gaza, trade at BRICS summit    Greco-Roman tombs with hieroglyphic inscriptions discovered in Aswan    Egypt teams up with private sector to boost university rankings    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Three ancient rock-cut tombs discovered in Aswan    Egypt condemns deadly terrorist attack in Niger    Egypt's FM, China's Wang discuss Iran-Israel escalation    Egypt's EHA, Schneider Electric sign MoU on sustainable infrastructure    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Egypt's Irrigation Minister urges scientific cooperation to tackle water scarcity    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    Egypt's Democratic Generation Party Evaluates 84 Candidates Ahead of Parliamentary Vote    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Cabinet approves establishment of national medical tourism council to boost healthcare sector    Egypt's PM follows up on Julius Nyerere dam project in Tanzania    Egypt's FM inspects Julius Nyerere Dam project in Tanzania    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Australia, New Zealand honour military from home as coronavirus scuppers parades
Published in Ahram Online on 25 - 04 - 2020

Thousands across Australia and New Zealand honoured their countries' military personnel on Saturday in private ceremonies held in driveways and on balconies, as the coronavirus outbreak forced most traditional Anzac Day memorials to be cancelled for the first time in decades.
Crowds typically gather at dawn services on April 25 to commemorate the bloody battle on the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey during World War One, which in recent decades has become one of the most important national occasions in both countries.
But with public gatherings banned to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, people were asked to remember the day privately.
"Our remembrances today, small, quiet and homely, will be," Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in his address. He was one of just a handful of people allowed to attend a ceremony at the country's national war memorial in Canberra.
Australia and New Zealand both managed to curb coronavirus infections before the epidemic strained their public health systems, but officials of the two sparsely populated Pacific neighbours continue to worry.
New Zealand will next week ease some of the world's strictest lockdown measures taken to tackle the pandemic, while Australia's strict social distancing rules remain in place.
In remembrances dubbed "stand at dawn," New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern stood on her driveway along with her fiance and his father on Saturday.
"This year a new threat faces all nations as the impact of the coronavirus deepens worldwide," Ardern said in an emailed statement.
"As we face these significant challenges, we remember the courage of those who have served in the name of peace and justice."
In Australia people also flocked to beaches to light candles and honour the country's military, who have fought in many worldwide conflicts.
Australia reported 20 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, which took its total to 6,687, according to health ministry data. There have been 80 deaths.
In New Zealand, there were three new confirmed cases, bringing the total of infections to 1,117. Eighteen people have died, health ministry data showed.
On April 25, 1915, thousands of troops from the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) were among a larger Allied force that landed on the narrow beaches of the Gallipoli peninsula, an ill-fated campaign that would claim more than 130,000 lives.
While the Gallipoli campaign against the Turks failed, the landing date of April 25 has become a major day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand for their troops killed in all military conflicts and the first Anzac Day parade was held in 1916.
Broad public commemorations were cancelled during the Spanish flu pandemic in 1919, the year after what was at the time dubbed the Great War. Ceremonies were also greatly scaled back during World War Two.
"Though our streets were empty, the returning veterans were not forgotten," Morrison said. "We have never forgotten them, and we never will."


Clic here to read the story from its source.