Sydney erupts as revelers among the first to greet the arrival of 2013
Source: Agencies |
January 1, 2013, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
SYDNEY'S skyline erupted with tons of exploding fireworks as revelers cheered in the new year from the city's crammed harbor in the world's first major celebration for 2013.
The enthusiastic welcome was continuing on a grand scale across Asia.
Myanmar was having a public countdown for the first time and Jakarta was planning a huge street party befitting Indonesia's powering economy.
The buoyant economies of the Asia-Pacific were prepared to party with renewed optimism despite the "fiscal cliff" threatening to reverberate globally from the United States and the tattered economies of Europe.
Celebrations were planned around the world, with hundreds of thousands expected to fill Times Square in New York City to watch the drop of a Waterford crystal-studded ball.
Major cities across austerity-hit Europe were to burn off part of their battered budgets in spectacular firework displays, although some municipalities - including the Cypriot capital, Nicosia - canceled their celebrations. Nicosia said the 16,000 euros (US$21,000) saved would be given to some 320 needy schoolchildren.
Sydney's balmy summer night was split by seven tons of fireworks fired from roof tops and barges, many cascading from the Sydney Harbour Bridge, in a A$6.6 million (US$6.9 million) pyrotechnic extravaganza billed as the world's largest.
Eager revelers camped out Sunday night to get the best vantage points.
In Hong Kong, this year's HK$12.5 million (US$1.6 million) fireworks display was said to be the biggest yet in the southern Chinese city with as many as 100,000 spectators.
In New Delhi, the festive mood was marred by the death on Saturday of a young rape victim.
Hotels, clubs and residents' associations in the Indian capital decided to cancel planned festivities and asked people to light candles to express their solidarity with the victim whose plight sparked public rallies for women's safety.
"Let there be no New Year celebrations across the country. It will be a major tribute to the departed soul," said Praveen Khandelwal, secretary-general of the Confederation of All India Traders, an umbrella group of operators of shops and businesses across the country.
In a field in Myanmar's largest city, Yangon, workers were testing a giant digital countdown screen with the backdrop of the revered Shwedagon pagoda.
Arranged by local Forever Media group and Index Creative Village, the celebration is the first public New Year countdown in Myanmar.
"We are planning this public New Year event because we want residents of Yangon to enjoy the public countdown like in other countries," said Win Thura Hlaing, managing director of Forever Blossom company.
With live music performances by celebrities, light shows, food stalls, fireworks and other activities, the countdown was expected to draw 50,000 people, Win Thura Hlaing said.
Jakarta's street party centers on a 7-kilometer thoroughfare closed to all traffic from nightfall until after midnight. Workers erected 16 large stages along the normally car-clogged, eight-lane highway through the heart of the city. Indonesia's booming economy is a rare bright spot amid global gloom and is bringing prosperity - or the hope of it - to Indonesians.
Government warnings
The Sydney crowds were undiminished by Australian government warnings that the Washington deadlock on the US debt crisis was partly to blame for a slowing Australian economy.
Australian pop singer Kylie Minogue hosted the event.
Florida tourist Melissa Sjostedt was among the thousands gathered near a southern pylon of the bridge. She said before the event that seeing the fireworks would fulfill an ambition that began a decade ago when she read about them in National Geographic magazine.
"Ever since that, I've always wanted to see this for real, live, in person," she said.
Despite a somber mood in the Philippines due to devastation from a recent typhoon, a key problem for authorities remained how to prevent revelers from setting off huge illegal firecrackers - including some nicknamed "Goodbye Philippines" and "Bin Laden" - that injure hundreds of Filipinos each year.
A government scare tactic involving doctors displaying brutal-looking scalpels used for amputations for firecracker victims has not fully worked in the past so health officials came up with a novel idea: Go Gangnam style.
A government health official, Eric Tayag, donned the splashy outfit of South Korean star PSY and danced to his Youtube hit "Gangnam Style" video while preaching against the use of illegal firecrackers on TV, in schools and in public arenas.
The enthusiastic welcome was continuing on a grand scale across Asia.
Myanmar was having a public countdown for the first time and Jakarta was planning a huge street party befitting Indonesia's powering economy.
The buoyant economies of the Asia-Pacific were prepared to party with renewed optimism despite the "fiscal cliff" threatening to reverberate globally from the United States and the tattered economies of Europe.
Celebrations were planned around the world, with hundreds of thousands expected to fill Times Square in New York City to watch the drop of a Waterford crystal-studded ball.
Major cities across austerity-hit Europe were to burn off part of their battered budgets in spectacular firework displays, although some municipalities - including the Cypriot capital, Nicosia - canceled their celebrations. Nicosia said the 16,000 euros (US$21,000) saved would be given to some 320 needy schoolchildren.
Sydney's balmy summer night was split by seven tons of fireworks fired from roof tops and barges, many cascading from the Sydney Harbour Bridge, in a A$6.6 million (US$6.9 million) pyrotechnic extravaganza billed as the world's largest.
Eager revelers camped out Sunday night to get the best vantage points.
In Hong Kong, this year's HK$12.5 million (US$1.6 million) fireworks display was said to be the biggest yet in the southern Chinese city with as many as 100,000 spectators.
In New Delhi, the festive mood was marred by the death on Saturday of a young rape victim.
Hotels, clubs and residents' associations in the Indian capital decided to cancel planned festivities and asked people to light candles to express their solidarity with the victim whose plight sparked public rallies for women's safety.
"Let there be no New Year celebrations across the country. It will be a major tribute to the departed soul," said Praveen Khandelwal, secretary-general of the Confederation of All India Traders, an umbrella group of operators of shops and businesses across the country.
In a field in Myanmar's largest city, Yangon, workers were testing a giant digital countdown screen with the backdrop of the revered Shwedagon pagoda.
Arranged by local Forever Media group and Index Creative Village, the celebration is the first public New Year countdown in Myanmar.
"We are planning this public New Year event because we want residents of Yangon to enjoy the public countdown like in other countries," said Win Thura Hlaing, managing director of Forever Blossom company.
With live music performances by celebrities, light shows, food stalls, fireworks and other activities, the countdown was expected to draw 50,000 people, Win Thura Hlaing said.
Jakarta's street party centers on a 7-kilometer thoroughfare closed to all traffic from nightfall until after midnight. Workers erected 16 large stages along the normally car-clogged, eight-lane highway through the heart of the city. Indonesia's booming economy is a rare bright spot amid global gloom and is bringing prosperity - or the hope of it - to Indonesians.
Government warnings
The Sydney crowds were undiminished by Australian government warnings that the Washington deadlock on the US debt crisis was partly to blame for a slowing Australian economy.
Australian pop singer Kylie Minogue hosted the event.
Florida tourist Melissa Sjostedt was among the thousands gathered near a southern pylon of the bridge. She said before the event that seeing the fireworks would fulfill an ambition that began a decade ago when she read about them in National Geographic magazine.
"Ever since that, I've always wanted to see this for real, live, in person," she said.
Despite a somber mood in the Philippines due to devastation from a recent typhoon, a key problem for authorities remained how to prevent revelers from setting off huge illegal firecrackers - including some nicknamed "Goodbye Philippines" and "Bin Laden" - that injure hundreds of Filipinos each year.
A government scare tactic involving doctors displaying brutal-looking scalpels used for amputations for firecracker victims has not fully worked in the past so health officials came up with a novel idea: Go Gangnam style.
A government health official, Eric Tayag, donned the splashy outfit of South Korean star PSY and danced to his Youtube hit "Gangnam Style" video while preaching against the use of illegal firecrackers on TV, in schools and in public arenas.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
