The firework display, nicknamed The Creation Storm, lasted several minutes





Happy New Year! Spectacular 2009 celebrations across the globe

Created 11:14 AM on 31st December 2008

By Debra Killalea

It was a truly spectacular start to 2009.

As the globe welcomed in the New Year, the skies across the world lit up with incredible firework displays.

Sydney welcomes in the New Year with a stunning midnight fireworks display across the harbour

The first was in Sydney, where the iconic Opera house was silhouetted in pink and gold and purple.

Fireworks were fired from six barges on the harbour, seven skyscrapers and from the iconic arch of the Harbour Bridge.

And as the day wore on, the display crept west until it reached London where the annual extravaganza was witnessed by millions.

Spectacular: The London Eye is surround by fireworks

Asian cities including Hong Kong, Kolkata, Manila and Singapore also put on incredible displays to welcome in the New Year.

Celebrations took place in Seoul, while millions of Japanese took to the streets of Tokyo in a colourful New Year party.

British ex-pats in Dubai were forced to plan alternative  New Year's Eve celebrations after all public parties were cancelled.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of the Gulf state, called off festivities following the violence in Gaza.

Revellers celebrate the New Year during the Rhythm & Vines Festival, at Waiohika Estate, Gisborne, New Zealand's most easterly point

He ordered that all public New Year's celebrations should be stopped 'in solidarity with the Palestinian people, who are currently enduring death, suffering and destruction in Gaza'.

Many hotels were forced to revise their entertainment options following the news, which has sent the plans of tens of thousands of British ex-pats into disarray.

A woman prepares the Chinese New Year in Wuhan, in central China's Hubei province in preparation for welcoming in 2009

Filipinos get ready to welcome the new year in with a bang in Manila

The move comes as it is revealed that Britain's pubs and nightclubs are bracing themselves for a quiet New Year’s Eve due to a combination of freezing weather and the credit crunch.

Hundreds of  venue owners are expecting a quiet night after a survey has shown that two out of three of people plan to ring in the year with family and friends.

The eye-catching display was the second for the celebratory event

Auckland's Sky Tower comes to life in a colourful display as the city welcomes in 2009

Hundreds of thousands of people packed Sydney Harbour as the city celebrated New Year's three hours early

Article: HERE

                               

Wed Dec 31, 12:31 PM ET

World bids adieu to a rocky 2008; worries over '09

PARIS – Revelers around the world greeted 2009 with fireworks, bell ringing and a tinge of optimism Thursday — amid hopes they'd seen the last of 2008's disappearing jobs and slumping stocks.

"I'm looking forward to 2009," said Randolph King of England, whose retirement fund was gutted in the global financial crisis. "Because it can't get much worse."

After the most volatile financial year in decades, people paused for a deep breath and a sip of ... perhaps something cheaper than champagne.

"We're not going to celebrate in a big way. We're being careful," said architect Moussa Siham, 24, as shoppers in the affluent area west of Paris were scaling back purchases for the traditional New Year's Eve feast.

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 about another 130 injured.

In the splendor of St. Peter's Basilica, Pope Benedict XVI called for "soberness and solidarity" in 2009. During a year's end vespers service Wednesday evening, the pope said these times are "marked by uncertainty and worry for the future" but urged people not to be afraid and to help each other.

Others tried to forget their troubles, for at least one night.

Sydney, Australia, was the world's first major city to ring in 2009, 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.

Some of the U.S. troops serving in Afghanistan gathered in Kabul to cut cake and count down to the new year.

In Brazil, six luxury cruise liners floated off Rio's famed Copacabana beach as fireworks erupted over heads of two million revelers.

"I hope that tonight we begin the end of war and crisis,' said Roberto Felipe, a 22-year-old construction worker, was shirtless with a beer in hand. "I hope that 2009, which is bringing your President Obama to the scene, will help us all have a better life."

In New York, throngs of revelers with fur hats and sleeping bags had already gathered by early evening in Times Square, despite temperatures that were expected to dip well below freezing.

"The economy is what it is. It's going to turn around. You just have to be positive," said Sam Tenorio, who brought his family to America's most famous New Year's party. "That's what we're doing, otherwise we wouldn't be here. I think that's why most people are here tonight: optimism."

But some other U.S. cities canceled public celebrations because of the shaky economy.

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 U.S. history in mid-September — were finding little joy.

"I don't think there's any reason for me to celebrate after knowing that my investment is worth nothing now," said electrical repairman Chan Hon-ming, who had purchased a $30,000 Lehman-backed investment.

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 in 2009 begins 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.

In Tokyo, volunteers stirred huge pots of New Year's rice-cake soup and doled out blankets and clothing to the needy.

Japan has long boasted a system of lifetime employment at major companies, but that has unraveled this year amid the financial crisis.

"There's no work," Mitsuo Kobayashi, 61, muttered as he picked up a wool scarf, a coat and pants. "Who knows what next year will bring?"

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Associated Press writers Dheepti Namasivay in Paris, France, Frances D'Emilio and Ariel David in Rome, Italy, Shawn Pogatchnik in Dublin, Ireland, Robert Barr in London, England, Patrick McGroarty in Berlin, Germany, Valur Gunnarsson in Reykjavik, Iceland, Derek Gatopoulos in Athens, Greece, Kristen Gelineau in Sydney, Australia, Denis Gray in Bangkok, Thailand, Dikky Sinn in Hong Kong, China, Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Colleen Long in New York, Biswajeet Banerjee in Lucknow, India, and Yuri Kageyama in Tokyo, Japan, contributed to this story.






Article: HERE

                       

Thu Jan 1, 1:12 AM ET

Clintons, revelers ring in 2009 in Times Square

NEW YORK – Hundreds of thousands of revelers rang in 2009 from frigid Times Square as the famous Waterford crystal ball dropped, signaling the end of a historic and troubled year that saw the election of the first black U.S. president and the worst economic crisis in decades.

As the clock struck midnight, a ton of confetti rained down while the partygoers hugged and kissed.

Josh Torres and his girlfriend, Sarah Manganello, both 21, screamed and cheered as they watched the ball drop. Manganello had advice for people in the new year: "Learn from what you've done and move forward."

The wind chill made it feel like 1 degree in the area, but that didn't stop the throngs bundled in fur hats, heavy coats and sleeping bags from attending the event.

Former President Bill Clinton and Sen. Hillary Clinton helped Mayor Michael Bloomberg lower the ball atop 1 Times Square for the 60-second countdown to midnight. Last year, Hillary Clinton was in Iowa campaigning for the presidency, and now she's expecting to be secretary of state in President-elect Barack Obama's administration.

Many other New Year's Eve traditions around the country were in place, but some festivities fell victim to hard times, and those that remained felt somewhat subdued. The nation's economic troubles made many people less interested in giving 2008 an expensive send-off. Public celebrations were canceled in communities from Louisville, Ky., to Reno, Nev., and promoters in Miami Beach, Fla., reported slower ticket sales than expected for celebrity-studded parties that they say would have sold out in past years.

But New York's celebration was still going strong. Five minutes before midnight, 1,000 balloons with the words "Joy," "Hope" and "2009" were released from rooftops in the area. The Waterford crystal ball — 12 feet in diameter and weighing nearly 12,000 pounds — dropped as the crowd erupted in cheers.

Sam Tenorio and his family drove to New York from Orlando, Fla., so his teenage daughter Brianna could see the Jonas Brothers perform live in Times Square.

"The economy is what it is. It's going to turn around. You just have to be positive," Tenorio said. "That's what we're doing, otherwise we wouldn't be here. I think that's why most people are here tonight: optimism."

Along with the Jonas Brothers, Lionel Richie and the Pussycat Dolls performed. Dick Clark made several TV appearances from inside a studio, and Ryan Seacrest hosted the event.

Las Vegas casinos put on a midnight fireworks display and daredevil acts, including a 200-foot jump over the refurbished volcano at The Mirage hotel-casino by Robbie Knievel, son of the late Evel Knievel.

Others weren't so lucky. Windy weather and rough harbor waters caused Baltimore officials to postpone a New Year's Eve fireworks celebration. In Reno, officials canceled their fireworks show for the first time since 2000.

"With the downturn in the economy, with people getting laid off and with the tightening of budgets all over town, we just didn't think it was right to spend $20,000 or $30,000 on something that goes up in smoke," Mayor Bob Cashell said.

Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson expected to save $33,000 by canceling a New Year's Eve party he traditionally throws.

Elkhart, Ind., planned a party at its outdoor skating rink, with volunteers leading some games, instead of a $5,000 event with fireworks. The city hadn't gotten any complaints about the scaled-back celebration, said Arvis Dawson, executive assistant to the mayor.

"I think most people understand," he said.

Philadelphia planned to celebrate New Year's Day with its more than century-old Mummers Parade, though it had fallen into jeopardy when city officials withdrew about $400,000 in support.

After weeks of limbo, the Mummers Association successfully raised enough private donations to continue the pageant filled with flamboyantly dressed performers, sometimes described as the city's Mardi Gras.

Rich Porco, a Mummer for 51 years, said the uncertainty made this "one of the worst years I've ever been involved with."

Instead of preparing for the festivities, "you found yourself thinking more about, 'Is there going to be a parade?'" Porco said. "It was hard."

In Pasadena, Calif., hundreds of thousands of spectators were expected for the Rose Parade. Organizers said any economic hit they might have suffered was lessened because commitments to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on floats have been in place for at least a year.

"We may or may not feel the effects of the economy this year, but more likely next year," Tournament of Roses Chief Operating Officer Bill Flinn said. "We do feel one of our jobs is to bring optimism at a time when things are not so good for so many people."

The Peach Drop, which has been the staple of downtown Atlanta's New Year Eve since 1989, was expecting almost 100,000 in attendance at Underground Atlanta — an 80,000 dropoff from last year. Some attendees believed the shaky economy played a part in fewer people showing for the event, but they said it wouldn't deter their spirits.

John Buleey, a building contractor from Dawsonville in north Georgia, expects hard times to come next year. The 39-year-old also said the struggling economy should improve by the year's end.

"Sure, we'll go through tough times," said Buleey, who wore a shiny, gold-colored hat that read "Happy New Year" across the front along with his five family members. "But judging from the past, this country will overcome our financial woes."

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Associated Press video journalist Ted Shaffrey in New York and writers Cristian Salazar in New York; Damian Grass in Miami Beach, Fla.; Oskar Garcia in Las Vegas; Joelle Diderich in Paris; Frances D'Emilio in Rome; Tom Coyne in South Bend, Ind.; Robert Imrie in Wausau, Wis.; Dinesh Ramde in Milwaukee; Kathy Matheson in Philadelphia; Solvej Schou in Pasadena, Calif., and Thomas S. Watson in Louisville, Ky., contributed to this report.




Article: HERE






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