World celebrates arrival of 2012
January 1st, 2012 - 8:32 am ICT by IANSLondon, Jan 1 (IANS) People in different parts of the world took to revelry as they celebrated the end of 2011 and ushered in the New Year 2012 at midnight.
The first places to celebrate were Samoa country, which is a group of islands in Oceania, situated in the South Pacific Ocean, and Tokelau, an autonomous region of New Zealand, after they jumped across the international dateline.
As the clock struck midnight at the end of Dec 29, the two South Pacific island nations fast-forwarded to Dec 31, missing out Dec 30 entirely. Tourists and locals partied throughout Saturday as Samoa revelled in being the first country to ring in the new year, rather than the last, BBC reported.
In Australia, Sydney heralded the new year with a 15-minute multi-million dollar firework display at midnight (1.00 GMT).
Whereas thousands of people in Japan’s capital city Tokyo released balloons carrying hand-written wishes for the New Year.
They released helium balloons in front of the Tokyo Tower at midnight with notes attached listing their hopes for 2012.
Many wished for a better year in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami that had brought devastation to the north-east of Japan in 2011.
Huge crowds in Hong Kong turned out to watch the countdown to 2012, which was made in giant illuminated numbers on the side of a skyscraper.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who commences his second term Sunday, said that he hoped the new year would continue the move towards democracy that protesters had started during the so-called Arab Spring in 2011.
A downbeat tone, however, was visible in German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s new year message.
Merkel said 2012 would be more difficult than 2011, but hoped Europe’s debt crisis would bring its member states closer.
- Twitter crashes after 16,000 New Year tweets per second - Jan 01, 2012
- Samoa skips day, leaps into future - Dec 30, 2011
- India, Germany set ambitious trade target - Dec 12, 2010
- At least 91 dead, scores missing after quake, tsunamis devastate Japan - Mar 11, 2011
- Devastating earthquake in Chile kills dozens, sparks tsunami warnings for dozens of countries - Feb 27, 2010
- Tomorrow becomes yesterday in the Pacific - Dec 30, 2009
- Devastating earthquake in Chile kills dozens, sparks tsunami warnings for dozens of countries - Feb 27, 2010
- Devastating earthquake in Chile kills dozens, sparks tsunami warnings for dozens of countries - Feb 27, 2010
- Devastating earthquake in Chile kills dozens, sparks tsunami warnings for dozens of countries (Update) - Feb 27, 2010
- Helium wasted on party balloons: Experts - Mar 22, 2012
- Samoa jumps forward 1 day at a time - May 10, 2011
- Tokyo Skytree opens to the public - May 23, 2012
- Tsunamis in the past 10 years - Mar 11, 2011
- B-town wishes love, luck for New Year - Dec 31, 2011
- Japan aims for top five finish at London Olympics - Apr 19, 2012
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