Hundreds of thousands of revelers rang in the new year from frigid Times Square in New York as the famous Waterford crystal ball dropped, signaling the end of a historic and troubled year that saw the election of the first black US president and the worst global economic crisis in decades.
As the clock struck midnight, a tonne of confetti rained down, while the partygoers hugged and kissed.
“We're worried about the economy but hoping for the best,” said Lisa Mills, of Danville, Ohio, visiting Times Square on Wednesday night with her husband, Ken, and 17-year-old daughter, Kara.
Former US president Bill Clinton and Senator Hillary Clinton, who will become US president-elect Barack Obama's secretary of state on Jan. 21, helped New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg lower the famous Waterford crystal ball atop 1 Times Square for the countdown to midnight.
Revelers also braved freezing conditions in London to see the New Year fireworks spectacular on the banks of the River Thames, which engulfed the London Eye in a blaze of color.
An estimated 400,000 people lined the embankments to catch the 10-minute salvo, which lit up the misty night sky over the British capital, while the Scottish capital Edinburgh's traditional Hogmanay knees-up opened a year-long “Homecoming” festival aimed at the country's diaspora.
About 100,000 people gathered in the main square of Bratislava to celebrate Slovakia's becoming the 16th member of the eurozone, exactly 10 years after the single European currency was introduced.
Two 18-year-old students, David and Laco, were selling kisses for a euro each among a crowd of partying people sporting flashing headbands, hats and colorful wigs.
In Prague, the Czech Republic took over the EU presidency from France at midnight as a top government official illuminated a giant pendulum on a hill above Prague with blue and yellow.
In Venice, some 30,000 welcomed in the new year with a collective kiss.
The new year also brought tragedy, as rescue workers in Thailand said at least 59 New Year's revelers died in a fire that swept through a popular nightclub in Bangkok, with at least 200 injured.
In the splendor of St Peter's Basilica, Pope Benedict XVI called for “soberness and solidarity” this year. During a year's end vespers service on Wednesday evening, the pope said these times were “marked by uncertainty and worry for the future,” but urged people not to be afraid and to help each other.
Other people tried to forget their troubles, for at least one night.
Six luxury cruise liners floated off Rio's famed Copacabana beach as fireworks erupted over heads of approximately 2 million Brazilian revelers.
Roberto Felipe, a 22-year-old construction worker, was shirtless with a beer in hand as he watched the spectacle.
“I hope that tonight we begin the end of war and crisis,” said Felipe, who was wearing sunglasses at midnight. “I hope that 2009, which is bringing your President Obama to the scene, will help us all have a better life.”
Some US New Year's Eve festivities fell victim to hard times, and those that remained felt somewhat subdued. The US economic troubles made many people less interested in giving last year an expensive send-off.
Public celebrations were canceled in communities from Louisville, Kentucky, to Reno, Nevada, and promoters in Miami Beach, Florida, reported slower ticket sales than expected for celebrity-studded parties that they say would have sold out in past years.
Tourism officials in Las Vegas expected more tourists in Sin City to celebrate New Year's Eve than last year, despite economic worries that have meant fewer visitors last year, Mayor Oscar Goodman said.
Sydney, Australia, was the world's first major city to ring in the new year, showering its shimmering harbor with a kaleidoscope of light that drew cheers from more than a million people.
In Ireland, thousands of Dubliners and tourists gathered outside the capital's oldest medieval cathedral, Christ Church, to hear the traditional New Year's Eve bell-ringing.
“It is a wondrously beautiful note on which to end what, for many people, has been an awfully out-of-tune 2008,” said Gary Maguire, a volunteer pulling the ropes.
On Dublin's north side, Danny McCoy, a construction worker, who was recently laid-off mulled over his waning fortunes as he got his hair cut.
“Last New Year's I had a fat wallet. I didn't have to worry about paying for my round, never mind the taxi fare home,” he said. “Tonight I've a mind to keep the festivities close to home, because I can't really afford to do anything.”
In Malaysia, the government — mindful of the shaky economy — chose not to sponsor any celebration at all.
In Hong Kong, thousands thronged around Victoria Harbor for a midnight fireworks display, but those with investments linked to collapsed investment bank Lehman Brothers — which filed the biggest corporate bankruptcy in US history in mid-September — were finding little joy.
In Iceland, where people have been angry over the country's collapsed economy, demonstrators forced an annual New Year's Eve broadcast featuring the prime minister off the air, storming the hotel where it was being filmed. They threw fireworks and water balloons at police, who responded with pepper spray.
In India, many were happy to see the end of 2008 after a series of terrorist attacks in several cities, culminating in the three-day siege in Mumbai that killed 164 people.
“The year 2008 can best be described as a year of crime, terrorist activities, bloodshed and accidents,” said Tavishi Srivastava, 51, an office worker in the northern Indian city of Lucknow. “I sincerely hope that 2009 will be a year of peace and progress.”
In Athens, police said arsonists attacked at least 10 banks and two car dealerships amid the celebrations, but no arrests or injuries were reported. Cities in Greece had riots recently over the fatal shooting of a teenage boy by police.
Celebrations were muted in China, where fireworks and feasting are reserved mainly for the Lunar New Year, which this year begins on Jan. 26.
At midnight in Japan, temples rang their bells 108 times — representing the 108 evils being struck out — as worshippers threw coins as offerings and prayed.
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
RSS