Celebrations In Times Square Despite Troubled Times - USA

By SARAH WHEATON
Published: December 31, 2009

Hundreds of thousands of revelers gathered in New York City’s Times Square, despite the rain, slushy streets and heightened security, capping worldwide celebrations that often emphasized the hopes for a more peaceful tomorrow.

The poor weather and tight security could not dampen the otherwise festive mood in midtown Manhattan, where the cast of the Broadway show “Hair” was among the acts to perform. People wearing oversized 2010 glasses rushed to grab hats proclaiming “Happy New Year” that were tossed into the crowd. But the mood of the times was perhaps best embodied by the famous ball to drop at midnight in Times Square - which is “more energy efficient than ever before,” organizers boasted, with its 32,256 Philips Luxeon Rebel LEDs and covered in 2,688 Waterford crystals.

The celebration followed raucous events elsewhere. In Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, about 2 million people, most of them dressed in traditional white, gathered at Copacabana Beach. In Hyderabad, Pakistan, the street was dotted with little white lights, emanating from candles that peace marchers were holding. In Venice, a high tide that flooded low-lying parts of the city, including St. Mark’s Square, coincided with the midnight celebration.

And in the United States, the attention naturally was focused on Times Square.

"Coming here is a dream that many people have," said Francisca Lopez, 47, a tourist from Mexico, as she waved a noisemaker in the air. She had staked out a coveted spot on Broadway between 46th and 47th streets with her teenage son and daughter. "This is the first year that we’re living it."

In an interview on a live Web cast offered by the Times Square Alliance, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg reflected on the weather.

“Everybody always says that when you have a wedding and it rains, everybody’s going to be happy and have good luck,” Mr. Bloomberg said, standing under a blue umbrella. “This sort of guarantees that 2010 is going to be a great year.”

Gustavo Postal, 23, a Brazilian from Sao Paulo,, was part of the crowd that had spilled up Seventh Avenue to Central Park, huddling under awnings and doorways for shelter from the drizzle.

“I think it’s a great time to be here,” Mr. Postal said. “I think the weather is good. Not too cold. I’d rather it snow.”

About 20 minutes later, he got his wish, as small white flakes began to descend around 10:30 p.m. Many others wishes would descend from the sky at midnight, written on paper, with two tons of confetti at midnight.

The police department estimated that about a million people were gathering at the site. They were joined by thousands of officers, including 250 rookies, dispersed throughout the crowd, including some in plain clothes.

The tight security was evident at 50th Street and Broadway, where an officer kept watch over a damp pile of bookbags, which were prohibited inside the police barricades. Their owners had stuffed the contents of the bags in their pockets and abandoned them.

Elsewhere, celebrations were marred by tradition taken to the extreme. In the Philippines, hundreds of people were injured by gunfire and firecrackers — the result of a belief that loud noise will scare away evil spirits. A quieter ceremony took place at Zojoji, a large Buddhist temple in Tokyo, where worshippers released clear, helium balloons into the night sky.

Thousands cheer on the new year - MALAYSIA

2010/01/01

Ben Tan and Phuah Ken Lin
KUALA LUMPUR: Tens of thousands of Malaysians greeted 2010 with excitement and joy at various venues in the country.
Revellers partied until the wee hours at public celebrations and private parties.

At Dataran Merdeka, thousands of people welcomed the New Year with Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Minister Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal
Abidin and his wife Datin Nafisah Raja Nong Chik.

The AmBank Group’s Ambang 2010 Kuala Lumpur concert also saw artistes and groups such as Amy Search, Ella, Bunkface Goldkarz, Sokagakai, Era Dancers
and City Hall’s performance troupe entertaining the crowd with upbeat music and dance moves.

The revelry took place at Dataran Merdeka, KLCC, Bangsar, Mid Valley, Mont Kiara and other spots. Another popular city venue was Sungei Wang Plaza's Street Party Countdown 2010 Celebration, which was co-organised by the Kuala Lumpur Chinese Assembly Hall and MCA Youth.

The event started with a street performance at 6.30pm in Jalan Sultan Ismail. The highlight of the evening was a concert featuring international and local Chinese artistes.

In Petaling Jaya, thousands of people celebrated at 1 Utama shopping centre's Central Park Avenue 2010 Countdown Concert.

Mutiara Damansara Commercial Centre, which comprises e@Curve and Ikano Power Centre, was packed with party-goers at a street party that started at 8pm.

Exciting performers, dancers and a fireworks-and-light display entertained the crowd.

In Penang, some 100,000 revellers swamped three public New Year celebrations to mark the end of the first decade of the millennium and the beginning of another decade.

Thousands thronged the famous Gurney Drive and the Esplanade seafront promenades.

The atmosphere was also festive outside the Queensbay Mall shopping complex in Bayan Lepas where revellers were entertained by a concert of local and international artistes.

Fireworks displays at the three venues illuminated the night skies amidst loud cheers.

A police helicopter was seen hovering above as the celebrations unfolded to ensure no untoward incidents.



On the mainland, similar celebrations were held at Sunway Carnival Mall and Juru Autocity.

There were also fireworks displays at Bukit Merah and Permatang Pauh.

In Shah Alam, some 10,000 revellers gathered as early as 7pm to catch the countdown at i-City.

When the clock struck midnight, a spectacular fireworks and laser lights show dazzled everyone.

Revellers were earlier entertained by multicultural musical performances, including by an Orang Asli troupe.

Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, accompanied by wife Puan Sri Salbiah Tunut, led the state's official countdown.

Nigerians mark new year on queue at filling stations - NIGERIA
By Sulaimon Salau

WHILE some Nigerians were gathered in their various places of worship to usher in the new year 2010, thousands of petroleum consumers were queuing up at filling stations to purchase fuel.

The product has been scarce for some weeks, and this development has found its way into the new year, despite every effort to restore normalcy into the system.

The Guardian's investigations revealed that some of the filling station dealers are hoarding fuel for profiteering, hence the product is sold at "black market" or in jerrycan.

Long queues of vehicles were noticed at various filling stations across Lagos metropolis late yesterday, as the motorists struggled to purchase fuel that would be used in the course of the new year celebration. But they ended the night at filling stations waiting for their turns to get the product.

Director of Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Dr. Billy Agha, who was worried about the situation, told The Guardian that the agency was committed to monitoring the profiteering scam being perpetrated by oil marketers at the filling stations.

The DPR boss said the officials of the department were being stationed at strategic locations to embark on a 24-hour surveillance of petrol station activities to ensure that sanity was restored in the sale of petroleum products in the country.

He said that the government was worried over the situation at the stations across the country, adding that failure to checkmate the activities of the oil marketers by regulating them to ensure that they complied with the laid down procedures guiding the downstream operations had allowed lawlessness to be the order of the day at the filling stations.

A majority of the filling stations visited by The Guardian yesterday were shut down, while the few that had products were selling above the accredited price of N65.

Despite the threat from the DPR and other enforcement agencies, the dealers have insisted on selling Petroleum Motor Spirit between N80 and N120 depending on the location.

Filling stations visited by The Guardian included Texaco Filling Station at Surulere; African Petroleum (AP) at Mushin; Mobil at Awolowo Road, Ikeja, Conoil, Total, Beco Petroleum, Majox and Oando.

The Executive Secretary of the Major Oil Marketers Association, Nigeria (MOMAN), Mr. Obafemi Olawore, also decried the situation in a telephone interview yesterday, noting that the group was trying its best to ensure that fuel was available nationwide, but financial constraints as a result of the banking crisis, had continued to threaten their efforts.

About 55 filling stations were recently shut down across the country for various offences. Some of them were also found to have contravened the laws guiding the oil and gas sector and they were penalised for various offences ranging from hoarding of fuel, selling to jerrycan owners, cheating motorists, selling above official price and diversion of products.

Their closure, according to the department, is to demonstrate that oil marketers operating in the sector cannot take laws into their own hands by selling above the official price.

Fireworks, cheers as Europe welcomes 2010 - FRANCE FOR EUROPE COUNTRIES

ABC NEWS

The Eiffel Tower was transformed into a glittering jewel and fireworks lit up the London sky as millions of revellers welcomed the New Year across Europe.

A spectacular light show and fireworks display lit up the Paris sky as revellers partied in the streets below.

The scenes were repeated an hour later in London, where more than 200,000 people lined the banks of the River Thames to watch fireworks explode out of the London Eye, the giant ferris wheel across from the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben.

In the Scottish capital Edinburgh up to 80,000 people turned out in Edinburgh for the annual Hogmanay outdoor street party, some sporting furry horned tartan helmets against the bitter cold as they gathered to watch fireworks by Edinburgh Castle.

In Berlin more than 1 million revellers were expected to have thronged onto the boulevard leading to the Brandenburg Gate, the symbol of German unity, with live bands and DJs cranking up the party.

In Russia, more than 120,000 crowded onto Moscow's Red Square to toast 2010 as President Dmitry Medvedev thanked his nation for bearing with the economic crisis and evoked family values.

"The past year was not a very easy one for our country, and I want to thank you all for bearing up together," a smiling Mr Medvedev said in a traditional New Year address.

"Our success in the new year depends on what each of us will do for his family and his country," he said.

In New York, a downpour of confetti was to mark midnight at a traditional mass celebration in Times Square in the heart of Manhattan.

But after security jitters rekindled by a Christmas Day bomb plot against a passenger jet claimed by Al Qaeda, undercover police, surveillance cameras and radiation and biological detection equipment were to monitor the crowds.

New Year's Eve events light up the city - CANADA
Tanya Fletcher Dec 31, 2009 10:42:55 AM

It's party time in Calgary! Even though the city has cancelled the annual New Year's Eve celebrations downtown at Olympic Plaza, there's still a lot going on around town.

Calgary Transit is offering free bus and C-train rides tonight - and there are lots of events you can go to.

The Calgary Zoo is putting on Zoo Year's Eve this evening. At 8:30 p.m. a spectacular fireworks display will light up the sky, still leaving time for parents to enjoy the rest of their night.

Heritage Park is hosting a Winter Carnival this afternoon, complete with crafts, a snowman toss, pin the snow tire on the automobile, and a gasoline alley bonspiel.

For comedy lovers, the Comedy Cave is hosting a 2010 New Year's Eve gala. Doors open at 5:00 p.m. and tickets $45 per person.

Other countries celebrate the New Year differently
How does Nigeria celebrate theirs?