Revelers converged on the beaches of Brazil, the skyscrapers of Dubai and New York’s Times Square to say good riddance to a turbulent 2014 marred by terror woes, Ebola outbreaks and a horrific series of airline disasters.
But tragedy struck in Shanghai, Baghdad was on edge and protesters in the United States planned a sobering reminder of one of the year’s biggest stories.
A look around the world:
• New York, N.Y.: About one million revelers rang in the New Year in Times Square, watching a giant, glittering ball drop as 1 ton of confetti containing well wishes for the upcoming year fell.
They braved cold temperatures and crowded conditions to get a good view of the festivities. Some arrived more than 12 hours in advance.
Agustina Bernacchia, a tourist from Argentina, said she wanted to experience the New Year’s Eve party she’d always seen on TV.
“It was a dream for us,” she said
• STAMPEDE IN SHANGHAI: Thirty-five people were killed in a stampede during New Year’s celebrations in downtown Shanghai, city officials said.
The deaths — the worst disaster to hit one of China’s showcase cities in years — occurred a half-hour before midnight at Shanghai’s popular riverfront Bund area, which can be jammed with spectators for major events. A Shanghai government statement said today that another 46 people were receiving hospital treatment, including 14 who were seriously injured.
Last week, the English-language Shanghai Daily reported that the annual New Year’s Eve countdown on the Bund that normally attracts about 300,000 people had been cancelled, apparently because of crowd control issues. The report said a “toned-down” version of the event would be held instead but that it would not be open to the public.
• BREAKING A RECORD IN DUBAI: The Gulf Arab emirate of Dubai was aiming to break the world record for the largest LED-illuminated facade with its spectacular display centered on the world’s tallest building.
Some 70,000 LED panels around the 2,722-foot Burj Khalifa flashed colored lights and projected images of the country’s leaders when clocks there struck midnight as a massive fireworks display erupted.
Emaar Properties said a team from Guinness World Records monitored the preparations. Last year, Dubai won the title for the world’s largest firework display, according to Guinness.
• WATCHING THE BALL — OR WHATEVER — DROP: The ball drop is a tradition that’s being increasingly copied across the United States with twists celebrating local icons.
Among the items being dropped: a big chili in Las Cruces, N.M.; a replica peach in Atlanta; a musical note in Nashville, Tenn.; a large pine cone in Flagstaff, Ariz.; an oversized spurred cowboy boot in Prescott, Ariz.; a 600-pound walleye made of wood and fiberglass in Port Clinton, Ohio; an 80-pound wedge of cheese in Plymouth, Wis.; and in Escanaba, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, a replica of a pasty — a baked pastry filled with meat and potatoes.
• TRYING TO CELEBRATE IN BAGHDAD: In Iraq’s war-scarred capital, Baghdad authorities ordered a one-off lifting of the overnight curfew in force for more than a decade to allow the city’s revelers to stay out late on the streets.
Traffic was unusually heavy starting shortly after sunset and authorities closed commercial streets to vehicles in the city’s center as a precaution against possible suicide bombings by militants of the Islamic State terror group.
• POLICE PROTESTS IN U.S.: Amid the celebration, some U.S. cities are on alert for New Year’s Eve protests related to recent police killings of unarmed black men.
Activists in Boston staged a peaceful “die-in” during First Night, Boston’s popular New Year’s Eve celebration. Dozens of people participated in the brief protest in front of the Boston Public Library on Wednesday.
