InfoAnda - Fireworks but long shadows as New Year sweeps across Europe

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Navigation Primary Navigation Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular Secondary Navigation Australia China India Indonesia Japan Malaysia Philippines Thailand Vietnam Search Search: Fireworks but long shadows as New Year sweeps across Europe AFP - 58 minutes ago PARIS (AFP) - - New Year festivities swept across Europe on Thursday -- but Gaza fears, Mumbai memories, economic collapse and tragedy in Thailand each cast long shadows at the dawn of 2009. An estimated 700,000 people gathered in London for the countdown to midnight -- while the Scottish capital Edinburgh's traditional Hogmanay knees-up opened a year-long "Homecoming" festival aimed at the country's diaspora. In Paris, over half a million people had already thronged on the French capital's famed Champs-Elysees an hour before the bells. While Ukrainians wondered whether Russia would turn off the taps on its gas supply as threatened later on Thursday morning, Slovakia partied in euros, exactly 10 years after the single European currency was introduced. About 100,000 people gathered in Bratislava's main square to celebrate the country becoming the 16th member of the eurozone. 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 colourful wigs. In Prague, the Czech Republic took over the European Union presidency from France at midnight as a top government official illuminated a giant pendulum on a hill above Prague with blue and yellow. Another 100,000 people descended on the Polish capital Warsaw, while in Athens' Syntagma Square -- the scene of so many violent protests by Greek youth in the last month -- the mood was equally upbeat. However, tragedy marked the immediate aftermath of the bells when fire ripped through a Bangkok nightclub, killing at least 59 New Year revellers. Hamas' vow to fight Israel "until the last breath" in Gaza also dampened celebrations among Muslim sympathisers. On Wall Street, a modest rise in stocks helped traders raise a pre-midnight glass despite the trauma of a catastrophic year rated as the worst since the Great Depression of the 1930s. But in India, where nuclear-armed tensions with neighbouring Pakistan remain all pervasive, Mumbai was marked by tight security after the trauma of the November terror attacks that left 172 people dead. Police there were keeping an especially close watch on traditional boat parties along Mumbai's famed waterfront, the entry point for some of those behind the November slaughter. Sydney was the first major world city to see in the New Year, although New Zealand also staged a dramatic fireworks display from Auckland's Sky Tower two hours earlier and 2009 officially kicked in on Kiritimati, or Christmas Island, in the Pacific Ocean, at 1000 GMT. Up to a record 1.5 million Australians and tourists converged on the site surrounding Sydney's world-famous Opera House for the city's biggest-ever -- and multi-million-dollar -- fireworks display. But several Arab states cancelled planned celebrations as Palestinians in the Islamist-run Gaza Strip suffered a fifth straight day of Israeli bombardment on Wednesday. Egypt, Jordan, Dubai and Syria all called off festivities including concerts by renowned Arab singers, with Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashed al-Maktoum giving the order "as a sign of solidarity with the brotherly Palestinian people...," his office said. Morocco even cancelled state television broadcasts, judging the mood inappropriate, according to Rabat's information minister. The Indian resort state of Goa banned its famous beach parties -- a huge draw for foreign tourists -- with extra paramilitary troops deployed to ensure security. A sombre note was also to be sounded in neighbouring Pakistan as December 31 falls on the second day of the Muslim mourning month of Muharram, which marks the death of the Prophet Mohammed's grandson in the seventh century. Global financial meltdown dampened spirits, with laid-off workers in Japan's Tokyo camping out in the city's Hibiya Park after companies -- including leading carmakers -- cut tens of thousands of jobs. Japan's Emperor Akihito in his New Year message called on the nation to unite in fighting its recession, saying it "grieves my heart that many people have been left in difficult conditions." "This year ended with... a crisis which calls for more restraint and solidarity to help those people and families who have got into serious difficulties," Pope Benedict XVI said in his traditional end-of-year message. China's main festivities will come later in the month with a week-long holiday for the traditional Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations. Email Story IM Story Printable View Blog This Recommend this article Average (0 votes) Sign in to recommend this article » Most Recommended Stories » Related Articles: Asia Pacific NKorea stresses strong military in New Year messageAFP - 15 minutes ago Fireworks but long shadows as New Year sweeps across EuropeAFP - 58 minutes ago 59 die in nightclub fire in BangkokAP - 1 hour 6 minutes ago Bangkok nightclub inferno kills 60 New Year revellersAFP - 1 hour 20 minutes ago NKorea vows to strengthen its militaryAP - 1 hour 44 minutes ago Enlarge Photo Fireworks but long shadows as New Year sweeps across Europe Most Popular – Asia Pacific Viewed Japanese tourist spends 3 months in Mexico City airport Two thousand and strange: offbeat stories of the year Actress Jennifer Aniston appears naked in GQ magazine Defiant governor fills Obama's senate seat despite graft scandal Israel mulls truce proposals as jets pound Gaza View Complete List » Search: Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular

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