The world rang in the New Year as the clock struck midnight Tuesday.
Sheikhdom aims for fireworks record
Dubai, a Persian Gulf nation known for glitz, glamor and over-the-top achievements like the world’s tallest skyscraper, sought to break another record by creating the world’s largest fireworks show on New Year’s Eve. Its skyline was a canvas for a dazzling 30-minute show. In total, the extravaganza included half a million fireworks synchronized by 100 computers, said Barrett Wissman, co-chairman of IMG Artists, which managed the event. The barrage in just the first 60 second surpassed the record, held by another Gulf Arab state, Kuwait.
Smog stops planned pyrotechnic display
China celebrated the New Year with light shows at part of the Great Wall near Beijing and at the Bund waterfront in Shanghai. But the city of Wuhan in central Hubei province called off its fireworks show and banned fireworks downtown to avoid worsening its smog. Pollution concerns are likely to force the cancellation of even larger fireworks displays planned for the Jan. 31 Lunar New Year.
Pope: Did you help anyone this year?
Pope Francis on Tuesday used his year-end prayer service of thanksgiving to urge people to ask themselves: Did they spend 2013 to further their own interests or to help others? In his homily, the pontiff asked people to reflect if they used 2013 to make the places where they live more livable and welcoming. Citing Rome as an example, Francis said the city is full of tourists, but also refugees.
Britain worried about New Year’s newcomers
For Great Britain, the New Year brings worries about immigration. As of today, it is lifting restrictions on workers from Romania and Bulgaria, Eastern European countries with elevated poverty. Britain’s top-selling The Sun newspaper carried a startling feature quoting Romanian bus passengers en route to London as vowing to beg and steal their way across the country, and the Daily Mail reported that planes and buses from Romania to the U.K. were “sold out.” But other journalists ridiculed the claim, reporting that they easily found cheap flights online.
Protesters seek to set anthem-signing record
In Ukraine, anti-government protesters aimed to set a record: most people singing a national anthem simultaneously. Hundreds of thousands of people were expected to gather on the main square in the nation’s capital, Kiev, on New Year’s Eve in an effort to exceed the record set in May in India, where 121,653 people sang that country’s anthem. Opponents of Ukraine’s leadership have been pushing for the country to sign a pact with the European Union.
Obama keeps out of spotlight for New Year
President Barack Obama kicked off the last day of 2013 with an hourlong workout at a military base near his rented vacation home in Hawaii. He and first lady Michelle Obama then headed to Hanauma Bay for a snorkeling outing. The White House said the president was staying at home Tuesday night and ring in the new year with friends and family. Obama has stayed out of the spotlight since arriving in his native state more than a week ago, golfing with friends, hiking with his family, and hitting the town for dinner at several of his favorite high-end restaurants.
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