Globe Greets 2013 in Rolling New Year's Party
A million people crammed into New York's Times Square on Tuesday to greet the New Year in a global party that kicked off in Australia before rolling around the world in a non-stop chain of firework displays.
But tragedy struck in the Ivory Coast when at least 61 people died and dozens more were injured as a crowd that had gathered for New Year's fireworks stampeded in the economic capital Abidjan, rescue workers there said.
An estimated one billion television viewers around the world watched the New York extravaganza, which climaxed when the mayor, aided by a bevy of Rockettes dancers, sent the traditional glittering crystal ball down a pole at one minute to midnight.
Kissing and dancing erupted in the thronged streets as fireworks erupted over Manhattan.
"It's something you need to do in your life. It's New York and New Year's Eve," said an excited Juli, 18, visiting from Austria.
Worldwide celebrations got started on a balmy summer's night in Sydney with a $6.9-million pyrotechnics display overseen by pop star Kylie Minogue.
From there, the endless party shifted to a kaleidoscopic eight-minute jamboree in Hong Kong, with the city's famed Victoria Harbor lit up in spectacular fashion, and fireworks across other Asian cities -- including for the first time Yangon, in long-isolated Myanmar.
As midnight moved westward through the time zones, the world's tallest building, Dubai's Burj Khalifa, was the centerpiece of festivities in the huge expatriate and tourist hub.
In Britain, tens of thousands braved rain on the banks of the Thames to see fireworks and the London Eye wheel lit up in changing colors.
"What an amazing end to an incredible year," said the British capital's Mayor Boris Johnson, alluding to the Olympic and royal spectaculars of 2012.
In Washington, the White House and top Republicans rang in 2013 by striking a last-minute budget deal to avoid the "fiscal cliff" tax hikes and spending cuts. The U.S. Senate in the wee hours of the New Year, held a vote passing the measure, with the House possibly following suit later Tuesday.
It was New York that led the U.S. party scene however, with South Korean pop sensation Psy and country star Taylor Swift in the line-up and the Empire State Building blazing in an unusual pulsating light display.
-- Festivities marred by deadly incidents --
The merrymaking turned deadly in Sacramento, California when shots rang out during a suspected altercation as crowds gathered to watch New Year's Eve fireworks, killing two people and leaving at least four others wounded, KTXL television reported.
In Ivory Coast, piles of abandoned shoes and clothing could be seen at the main stadium in Abidjan after the New Year's crowd there stampeded.
An AFP journalist saw many injured children, while images broadcast by RTI television showed bodies stretched lifeless on the ground outside the stadium.
A rescue worker said at least 200 people had been wounded in addition to the 61 killed.
The New Year also often turns lethal in parts of Latin America, where revelers sometimes celebrate by firing guns into the air, but there were no reports of deadly celebrations early Tuesday.
-- Relieved farewell to 2012 for many --
Many festivities were on hold in Venezuela however, out of respect for President Hugo Chavez, who has suffered a health setback following a return of his cancer.
In Rio de Janeiro, 24 tons of fireworks lit up the sky over Copacabana beach, packed with a multitude that authorities calculated at more than two million, most dressed in white as per New Year's Eve custom there.
People also set white flowers afloat in the water as an offering to Yemanja, the goddess of the sea in the Afro-Brazilian religion known as candomble. Rio native Leonardo Macre also threw some coins in the crashing waves.
"Yemanja gives back what you give her, and with these coins I hope for prosperity," Macre said.
Meanwhile, in Russia, President Vladimir Putin used a traditional New Year's address to call for unity following a year of protests against his return to the Kremlin for a third term.
In Rome, Pope Benedict XVI celebrated New Year's Eve vespers in St Peter's Basilica, voicing solidarity with the poor and calling on believers to pause to reflect from time to time despite busy lives.
"We have to know how to stop and think. This way our soul can find healing for the inevitable wounds of everyday life," he said.
In Spain, revelers who gathered in Madrid's Puerta del Sol square ahead of midnight -- cowed by cold, rain and recession -- sought to numb the pain of economic crisis with a glass of wine and plenty of cheer.
Manuela Ibanez, 51, who came from Barcelona with her two daughters, said: "At times like this we forget the crisis."
In Paris, however, there was less cheer as authorities issued a reminder that all fireworks were officially banned for the night.
Earlier in Asia, in regions devastated by Typhoon Bopha -- which hit the southern Philippines in early December, killing more than 1,000 people -- many survivors said food, work and permanent shelter topped their priorities.
In the capital Manila, authorities had been bracing for the annual rush of injuries as families celebrated with do-it-yourself firework displays and shot celebratory bullets into the air.
Seoul ushered in 2013 with a ritual ringing of the city's 15th-century bronze bell 33 times, reflecting the ancient practice of marking a new year.
Millions visited temples and shrines in Japan for "ninen-mairi" two-year prayers, gathering at family homes to feast on soba noodles and watch the New Year variety show "Kohaku Uta Gassen", or the Red and White Song Contest.
Fireworks also went up in cities across China. And In Taiwan, hundreds of thousands defied chilly winds to pack the square in front of the Taipei City Hall for a concert featuring Taiwanese pop diva A-Mei and Hong Kong-based singer and actor Aaron Kwok.
In Myanmar, an estimated 50,000 flocked to Yangon's revered golden Shwedagon Pagoda for the city's first public New Year countdown and fireworks display, seen as further evidence of opening up after decades of military rule.
But in India, rocked by the deadly gang-rape of a young medical student, the armed forces canceled New Year celebrations, while many hotels and bars scaled back parties out of respect for the unnamed victim.
Source: Agence France Presse, Associated Press
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