As 2016 drew to a close in the UAE, the celebrations in other parts of the world had already been underway for hours.
Australia used the festivities to pay hommage to the late David Bowie and Prince, with fireworks set to a medley of their music. .
The seven tons of fireworks launched from barges in Sydney harbour also included a “Willy Wonka moment” in tribute to the late actor Gene Wilder’s most famous role.
“This year, sadly, we saw the loss of many music and entertainment legends around the world,” said fireworks co-producer Catherine Flanagan. “Celebrating their music as part of Sydney New Year’s Eve fireworks displays is an opportunity to reflect on the year that has been and what the future may hold.”,
With around 1.5 million revellers around Sydney harbour and memories of the attacks in Berlin and Nice still fresh, an extra 2,000 police were on duty and some pedestrian areas were blocked off by buses.
On Friday, a man was arrested after llegedly posting posted threats on social media related to Sydney’s New Year’s Eve celebrations. New South Wales police said he was acting in isolation and had no known links to extremist groups. “Ultimately the best way that we can respond to the threats around the world is to fight for our freedoms, enjoy our freedoms, and part of that is ensuring that we go about and celebrate New Year’s Eve,” state Premier Mike Baird said.
In Japan, temple bells rang out at midnight as families gathered together to eat soba noodles, the standard New Year’s Eve dish before driving to a shrine which, like temples all over the country, were filled with those praying for good fortune in the Year of the Rooster, according to the Chinese zodiac.
In China, however, residents of Beijing and Shanghai, the two largest cities in the country, passed New Year’s Eve in virtual lockdown after the authorities banned celebrations along the Bund waterfront in Shanghai and the sale, use and transportation of fireworks. Two years ago, more than 30 people died in a deadly stampede on Shanghai’s waterfront, where 300,000 people had gathered to watch a planned light show. This year, large buildings often used to display light shows stayed dark.
In Beijing police forbade countdowns, lightshows, lotteries and other organised activities usually held in popular shopping districts.
More than half a million South Koreans ushered in the New Year with another massive protest calling for the immediate arrest and removal of impeached President Park Geun-Hye.
Carrying candles and waving banners, they chanted “Park Geun-Hye step down. Go to prison now.”
“I came here to help usher in a new year that has no Park Geun-Hye”, said Kang Jae-Chun, who brought his two children
The traditional bell-tolling ceremony at the Bosinkgak pavilion at midnight also became a political statement. One of the guests invited by he mayor of Seoul, Park Won-soon, was a man whose teenage son was among more than 300 people who died during a 2014 ferry sinking. President Park was severely criticised over the way her government handled the ferry disaster.
“So many unbelievable things happened in 2016. It felt like a movie,” said protester Lee Huymi said about the Park scandal. “So I hope 2017 brings a movie-like ending to the mess. Everything getting solved, quickly and all at once, leaving us all happy.”
New Year’s Eve in India is primarily time for family but thousands flocked to the iconic Gateway of India, a colonial-era structure on the Mumbai waterfront overlooking the Arabian Sea for a huge street party with music, dancing and fireworks.
The famous, glitzy desert city of Las Vegas pulled out all the stops with an eight-minute firework show launched from the roofs of half a dozen casinos.
More than 300,000 visitors are expected to descend on Las Vegas for an extravagant New Year’s Eve celebration.
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* Associated Press
What is a black hole?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Al Jazira 3 (O Abdulrahman 43', Kenno 82', Mabkhout 90 4')
Al Ain 1 (Laba 39')
Red cards: Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain)
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
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- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
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First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.