Grappling with the worst economic crisis since its independence, Sri Lanka celebrates New Year

India's financial capital Mumbai welcomes New Year with music dance and traditional costume. Thousands of women on motorbikes took part in a parade for Gudi Padwa, take a look at this report for more.

Gudi Padwa: India's financial capital Mumbai welcomes New Year

After Covid pause, Chinese New Year parade enthralls San Francisco again

The world awaits Lunar News Year, with Washington, D.C. is ready to welcome Lunar New Year the year of the tiger.

Washington, D.C. is ready to welcome Lunar New Year

It's almost time for Thailand to welcome Lunar New Year. Though with a tummy twist this year. Mini Lunar New Year's dessert is on offer.

It's almost time for Thailand to welcome Lunar New Year

New Year's resolutions are made at the start of the year, but in many cases, they fail with a few weeks, or sometimes days. But one can stick to the plans by following some steps. The list has been collated after taking inputs from an article published on health.harvard.edu Watch the video and follow the steps!

Already failing? Seven ways to stick to New Year's resolutions

<p>Alia Bhatt is showing of boyfriend Ranbir Kapoor's photography skills.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
The much in love couple were jetted off for&nbsp;a private vacation to rang in New year, and now Alia is showing Kapoor's hidden talent.&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-swara-bhaskar-tests-positive-for-covid-19-under-home-quarantine-442922" hreflang="en">Swara Bhaskar tests positive for COVID 19, under home quarantine</a></p>

<p>On Friday, Alia shared a string of her beautiful pictures on her Instagram account Friday. Along with the pictures taken in the picturesque location, the `Raazi` star wrote, "casually flexing my boyfriend`s photography skills.<br />
<br />
The close-up shorts shows Alia and her dimpled smile.</p>

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<p>"Fans, friends and family members reacted to the picture. Alia`s mother and veteran star Soni Razdan dropped a bunch of heart-eyed emoticons."#phirseuddchale," actor Arjun Kapoor wrote.<br />
<br />
Alia and Ranbir have been dating for more than three years now. Reportedly, the couple went to Kenya’s 'Masai Mara' for the New Year's vacation.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Earlier, Alia shared some more snaps from the trip on Instagram. She wrote, “Giving 2022 some Hakuna Matata energy. Stay safe, smile .. be simple and love more!!!!! happy new year."</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/on-irrfan-khans-birth-anniversary-a-look-back-at-some-of-his-iconic-dialogues-355117">On Irrfan Khan's birth anniversary, a look back at some of his iconic dialogues</a><br />
<br />
Alia and Ranbir started dating back in 2017, shortly after they started working on their first film together 'Brahmastra'. &nbsp;Earlier, there were rumours that the couple were getting married in December 2020. However, now the wedding is pushed to April 2022.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Ayan Mukerji's directorial is set to release on September 9, 2022, also stars Amitabh Bachchan, Akkineni Nagarjuna and Mouni Roy in key roles. The film is backed by Karan Johar`s Dharma Productions.&nbsp;</p>


Alia Bhatt is showing of boyfriend Ranbir Kapoor's photography skills. The much in love couple were jetted off for a private vacation to rang in New year, and now Alia is showing Kapoor's hidden talent.

Alia Bhatt is showing of boyfriend Ranbir Kapoor's photography skills. The much in love couple were jetted off for a private vacation to rang in New year, and now Alia is showing Kapoor's hidden talent. Swara Bhaskar tests positive for COVID 19, under home quarantine On Friday, Alia shared a string of her beautiful pictures on her Instagram account Friday. Along with the pictures taken in the picturesque location, the `Raazi` star wrote, "casually flexing my boyfriend`s photography skills. The close-up shorts shows Alia and her dimpled smile. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Alia Bhatt ☀️ (@aliaabhatt) × "Fans, friends and family members reacted to the picture. Alia`s mother and veteran star Soni Razdan dropped a bunch of heart-eyed emoticons."#phirseuddchale," actor Arjun Kapoor wrote. Alia and Ranbir have been dating for more than three years now. Reportedly, the couple went to Kenya’s 'Masai Mara' for the New Year's vacation. Earlier, Alia shared some more snaps from the trip on Instagram. She wrote, “Giving 2022 some Hakuna Matata energy. Stay safe, smile .. be simple and love more!!!!! happy new year." On Irrfan Khan's birth anniversary, a look back at some of his iconic dialogues Alia and Ranbir started dating back in 2017, shortly after they started working on their first film together 'Brahmastra'. Earlier, there were rumours that the couple were getting married in December 2020. However, now the wedding is pushed to April 2022. Ayan Mukerji's directorial is set to release on September 9, 2022, also stars Amitabh Bachchan, Akkineni Nagarjuna and Mouni Roy in key roles. The film is backed by Karan Johar`s Dharma Productions.

Ranbir Kapoor beautifully captures girlfriend Alia Bhatt's dimpled smile

New Year Resolutions: In addition to being fit this year, quick fixes for going greener in 2022

What is your idea of a new year's celebration? For most people around the world, the best way to ring in the new year is dining dancing, and partying with friends, but in a zoo in South Korea, five new tiger cubs stole the show.

New Year party with new Siberian tiger cubs at a zoo in South Korea

China has now recorded fresh covid-19 cases, with most linked to local transmission. In the last 24 hours, China has reported over 160 new Covid cases.

A muted New Year celebration in China as Covid-19 cases surge

Britain experienced its warmest new year's day on record as temperatures rose above 16 degrees celsius for the first time on 1st January.

UK witnesses warmest New Year on record as temperatures rises to 16 degrees celsius

<p>In a shooting at a party in the US state of Mississippi, three people were killed and four others were injured, the authorities said. &nbsp;</p>

<p>At the party, several people had gathered. The incident occurred just minutes before the end of 2021. &nbsp;</p>

<p>At the Gulfport New Year's party shooting, no arrests have been made till now. The investigators are still going through the chaotic scene. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/israeli-military-gaza-militants-celebrate-new-year-with-exchange-of-rocket-fire-441686" hreflang="en">Israeli military, Gaza militants 'celebrate' New Year with exchange of rocket fire</a></strong></p>

<p>More than 50 bullets were fired from several guns. The people, who saw the shooting and some of the wounded, aren't talking to officers, said Gulfport Police Chief Chris Ryle. &nbsp;</p>

<p>At a Saturday news conference, Ryle said, "I understand their mentality. They don't want to be seen a snitches in public. But we have a phone line, they are more than welcome to call.” &nbsp;</p>

<p>"Guns, drugs, alcohol, it's a recipe for disaster," Ryle added. &nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uk-experiences-warmest-new-years-day-on-record-441678" hreflang="en">UK experiences warmest New Year's Day on record</a></strong></p>

<p>According to police, one person is in critical condition. Three others, who were wounded, are expected to recover. The cops had responded to 911 calls at 11:58 pm on Friday. &nbsp;</p>

<p>The investigators are still unclear about what caused the shoving and punching, which quickly turned into shooting, the police chief said. &nbsp;</p>

<p>At the news conference posted on the website of The Sun Herald of Biloxi, Ryle said, "Somebody out there last night saw something with that many people." &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;</em></p>


In a shooting at a party in the US state of Mississippi, three people were killed and four others were injured, the authorities said. At the party, several people had gathered.

In a shooting at a party in the US state of Mississippi, three people were killed and four others were injured, the authorities said. At the party, several people had gathered. The incident occurred just minutes before the end of 2021. At the Gulfport New Year's party shooting, no arrests have been made till now. The investigators are still going through the chaotic scene. Also Read: Israeli military, Gaza militants 'celebrate' New Year with exchange of rocket fire More than 50 bullets were fired from several guns. The people, who saw the shooting and some of the wounded, aren't talking to officers, said Gulfport Police Chief Chris Ryle. At a Saturday news conference, Ryle said, "I understand their mentality. They don't want to be seen a snitches in public. But we have a phone line, they are more than welcome to call.” "Guns, drugs, alcohol, it's a recipe for disaster," Ryle added. Also Read: UK experiences warmest New Year's Day on record According to police, one person is in critical condition. Three others, who were wounded, are expected to recover. The cops had responded to 911 calls at 11:58 pm on Friday. The investigators are still unclear about what caused the shoving and punching, which quickly turned into shooting, the police chief said. At the news conference posted on the website of The Sun Herald of Biloxi, Ryle said, "Somebody out there last night saw something with that many people." (With inputs from agencies)

At New Year's party shooting in US, 3 dead, 4 injured

In a zoo in South Korea, five Siberian tiger cubs stole the show. These tiger cubs were introduced to the general public for the first time after their birth. Our next report has more details.

Five Siberian tiger cubs introduced to public for the first time in South Korea

New Year greetings? China shares new pictures of Mars captured by Tianwen-1 probe

As the dust settles on 2021, take a look at the themes that will shape the year ahead. Will the pandemic end? Will you be able to travel? Will mental health become mainstream? Palki Sharma tells you what the broad trends will look like.

Gravitas: Trends that will rule 2022

<p>Another January is upon us, and with your holiday feasting over, you might be hearing the voice of an invisible trainer in your head, telling you to hit the gym, the pool, the track or the hiking trail, and hit it fast. But the guilt we may feel about putting it off is usually a waste of time. We need rest, too.</p>

<p>Sometimes it’s good to take a break from exercise — give your joints, tendons and ligaments a rest, and your mind as well. But sometimes a break lasts far longer than you had planned or ever imagined. This was my story for a while. And when I say I took a break, I’m not talking about weeks. It was about three years.</p>

<p>Injuries played a small part. I developed plantar fasciitis — inflammation of tissue on the heel, a consequence of aging and overuse — which inhibited doing cardio. I’d had plenty of exercise-related injuries before — a torn rotator cuff, herniated discs, “swimmers’ shoulder” — but I’d been a gym rat since I was a teenager, and in the past I could usually push through.</p>

<p>Now, at age 54, I’d stopped caring about pushing through, stopped caring about exercise altogether. This was a problem beyond the potential effect on my health; I had spent years researching and writing a book on the history of exercise, tracing its evolution from antiquity to the present, and I was still far from the finish line.</p>

<p>But sore feet were just a somatic expression of what was really going on. You see, this whole phase, this breakup that exercise and I had, started not long after I lost my partner, Oliver Sacks, who died at 82 in 2015.</p>

<p>Oliver and I used to swim together two or three times a week — usually a mile at a nearby pool — sharing a lane and often splitting a weekly session with a swim coach. We swam wherever we could — in cold mountain lakes, in salty seas, at elegant hotels in London and Iceland, Jerusalem and San Francisco.</p>

<p>One of the funniest memories I have is of swimming with Oliver in the huge public pool in Central Park on a steamy hot summer night. The pool was jammed with swimmers, kids, families, New Yorkers. The few lifeguards on deck were frantically trying to impose some order, keeping boys from cannonballing or divebombing, their whistles blaring above the din. It was like swimming in Times Square. And there in the middle of it all was Oliver, half-blind but indomitable, trying to do laps as I swam right beside him, his stressed-out bodyguard.</p>

<p>Oliver continued to exercise until nearly the very end of his life — still swimming, albeit more slowly and at shorter distances. When he could no longer safely walk to the gym, his trainer came to the apartment and took him through a cycle of simple exercises using light dumbbells, stretch cords and a Bosu ball. For some cardio, he’d stride up and down the corridor. Even when confined to bed, he made a point of moving his limbs this way and that as vigorously as he could. “Exercise for the dying,” Oliver sardonically called it. But he did it because exercise made him feel good, made him feel alive.</p>

<p>Once Oliver was gone, though, all went silent, and my interest in exercise went silent, too. Suddenly the history of exercise seemed quite unimportant. I put my half-written book aside and did not even open up the file on my computer for years.</p>

<p>Single, alone, bored, depressed, I also began hanging out at a neighborhood pub, drinking more than I should, and on weekends, smoking more weed than I could justify. I still got some exercise, in a desultory way — but I’d lost my passion for it. The gym or the pool or a yoga class seemed like increasingly far-off destinations. Then, early in 2018, I was diagnosed with high blood pressure. This wasn’t unexpected — three of my five sisters also had it, as did my mother, and my numbers had always run a bit high. My doctor prescribed medication, but also told me this: “You need to step up your cardio.”</p>

<p>“Right,” I replied. “I thought you’d say that.”</p>

<p>At age 57, exercise changed from something I freely wanted to do — to look good, to feel good — to something I really should do to stay healthy. No excuses.</p>

<p>It took time, but exercise and I reunited, one might say, albeit in a different way. Since Oliver’s death, I had changed. I felt like a different person, and exercise had changed for me, too. My relationship with it lacked the obsessiveness of youth, feeling more like a civilized arrangement between former lovers now well into middle age. I resumed working out and swimming regularly, and my blood pressure returned to normal, my weight dropped, and by my 59th birthday, in January 2020, I felt better, physically and mentally, than I had in a long time.</p>

<p>Then the pandemic hit. I had no choice but to adapt when my gym closed.</p>

<p>I was OK with just doing my own thing at home for a while. But as it became clear that gyms were not going to reopen anytime soon, I found that I missed the pump you get from lifting weights, from supersets and reps to exhaustion, and even the ache from sore muscles the next day. I missed swimming. And perhaps more than anything, I missed the sense of community I’d always found in gyms.</p>

<p>But there was one big upside to all this time I had to myself, at home alone: I resumed work on my book on the history of exercise, called “Sweat,” with a renewed perspective. I had my own history of exercise now, too.</p>

<p>I waited until pools were allowed to reopen, six months after the lockdown, before I reactivated my gym membership. And then I went on the very first day. I saw only two other men in the locker room, matched in number by masked janitors busily disinfecting surfaces. The sauna and spacious steam room were closed indefinitely, perhaps forever, bringing to mind the crumbling, ancient baths, or thermae, found in Rome — ruins from another time, another culture. It was all so depressing. But I told myself not to dwell. I quickly changed into a swimsuit and headed to the pool. My swim reservation — 30 minutes, maximum — was for 2:10 p.m. I felt like I was going to a doctor’s appointment.</p>

<p>The lifeguard confirmed my reservation and explained the rules: Wear your mask at all times, except for right before you get into the pool. He handed me a plastic sandwich bag to store it in at poolside. Unlike in the past, swimmers would have a lane to themselves — no lane sharing or circle swimming allowed. Lane 1 was empty, he told me, and I could go ahead and swim.</p>

<p>Oliver’s lane, I thought: He always swam in Lane 1. The lifeguard would even transfer swimmers from that lane to another just for him because that’s where a ladder was. He always held tightly onto my arm as I guided him to the ladder, his huge flat feet flopping in swim fins.</p>

<p>I took off my mask, put on goggles and plunged in.</p>

<p>The water was cold — cold! The pool must have been drained, cleaned, then refilled. Oof! I pushed off, arms outstretched in a V, legs in a scissor kick, until I surfaced about a third of the way down and launched into freestyle. My stroke immediately kicked in, as if not a day had passed since March. I had wondered if it would take time — time to find my rhythm, to synchronize bilateral breathing with crawling arms and legs. But no, my body knew exactly what to do: thrust, pull, kick, rotate — swim. I touched the wall, flipped, pushed off.</p>

<p>Lap after lap, I just swam, grateful to forget about the pandemic, grateful for my health, grateful simply to be alive — my heart racing, my body darting through the water like a dolphin freed from captivity.</p>


Another January is upon us, and with your holiday feasting over, you might be hearing the voice of an invisible trainer in your head, telling you to hit the gym, the pool, the track or the hiking trail, and hit it fast.

Another January is upon us, and with your holiday feasting over, you might be hearing the voice of an invisible trainer in your head, telling you to hit the gym, the pool, the track or the hiking trail, and hit it fast. But the guilt we may feel about putting it off is usually a waste of time. We need rest, too. Sometimes it’s good to take a break from exercise — give your joints, tendons and ligaments a rest, and your mind as well. But sometimes a break lasts far longer than you had planned or ever imagined. This was my story for a while. And when I say I took a break, I’m not talking about weeks. It was about three years. Injuries played a small part. I developed plantar fasciitis — inflammation of tissue on the heel, a consequence of aging and overuse — which inhibited doing cardio. I’d had plenty of exercise-related injuries before — a torn rotator cuff, herniated discs, “swimmers’ shoulder” — but I’d been a gym rat since I was a teenager, and in the past I could usually push through. Now, at age 54, I’d stopped caring about pushing through, stopped caring about exercise altogether. This was a problem beyond the potential effect on my health; I had spent years researching and writing a book on the history of exercise, tracing its evolution from antiquity to the present, and I was still far from the finish line. But sore feet were just a somatic expression of what was really going on. You see, this whole phase, this breakup that exercise and I had, started not long after I lost my partner, Oliver Sacks, who died at 82 in 2015. Oliver and I used to swim together two or three times a week — usually a mile at a nearby pool — sharing a lane and often splitting a weekly session with a swim coach. We swam wherever we could — in cold mountain lakes, in salty seas, at elegant hotels in London and Iceland, Jerusalem and San Francisco. One of the funniest memories I have is of swimming with Oliver in the huge public pool in Central Park on a steamy hot summer night. The pool was jammed with swimmers, kids, families, New Yorkers. The few lifeguards on deck were frantically trying to impose some order, keeping boys from cannonballing or divebombing, their whistles blaring above the din. It was like swimming in Times Square. And there in the middle of it all was Oliver, half-blind but indomitable, trying to do laps as I swam right beside him, his stressed-out bodyguard. Oliver continued to exercise until nearly the very end of his life — still swimming, albeit more slowly and at shorter distances. When he could no longer safely walk to the gym, his trainer came to the apartment and took him through a cycle of simple exercises using light dumbbells, stretch cords and a Bosu ball. For some cardio, he’d stride up and down the corridor. Even when confined to bed, he made a point of moving his limbs this way and that as vigorously as he could. “Exercise for the dying,” Oliver sardonically called it. But he did it because exercise made him feel good, made him feel alive. Once Oliver was gone, though, all went silent, and my interest in exercise went silent, too. Suddenly the history of exercise seemed quite unimportant. I put my half-written book aside and did not even open up the file on my computer for years. Single, alone, bored, depressed, I also began hanging out at a neighborhood pub, drinking more than I should, and on weekends, smoking more weed than I could justify. I still got some exercise, in a desultory way — but I’d lost my passion for it. The gym or the pool or a yoga class seemed like increasingly far-off destinations. Then, early in 2018, I was diagnosed with high blood pressure. This wasn’t unexpected — three of my five sisters also had it, as did my mother, and my numbers had always run a bit high. My doctor prescribed medication, but also told me this: “You need to step up your cardio.” “Right,” I replied. “I thought you’d say that.” At age 57, exercise changed from something I freely wanted to do — to look good, to feel good — to something I really should do to stay healthy. No excuses. It took time, but exercise and I reunited, one might say, albeit in a different way. Since Oliver’s death, I had changed. I felt like a different person, and exercise had changed for me, too. My relationship with it lacked the obsessiveness of youth, feeling more like a civilized arrangement between former lovers now well into middle age. I resumed working out and swimming regularly, and my blood pressure returned to normal, my weight dropped, and by my 59th birthday, in January 2020, I felt better, physically and mentally, than I had in a long time. Then the pandemic hit. I had no choice but to adapt when my gym closed. I was OK with just doing my own thing at home for a while. But as it became clear that gyms were not going to reopen anytime soon, I found that I missed the pump you get from lifting weights, from supersets and reps to exhaustion, and even the ache from sore muscles the next day. I missed swimming. And perhaps more than anything, I missed the sense of community I’d always found in gyms. But there was one big upside to all this time I had to myself, at home alone: I resumed work on my book on the history of exercise, called “Sweat,” with a renewed perspective. I had my own history of exercise now, too. I waited until pools were allowed to reopen, six months after the lockdown, before I reactivated my gym membership. And then I went on the very first day. I saw only two other men in the locker room, matched in number by masked janitors busily disinfecting surfaces. The sauna and spacious steam room were closed indefinitely, perhaps forever, bringing to mind the crumbling, ancient baths, or thermae, found in Rome — ruins from another time, another culture. It was all so depressing. But I told myself not to dwell. I quickly changed into a swimsuit and headed to the pool. My swim reservation — 30 minutes, maximum — was for 2:10 p.m. I felt like I was going to a doctor’s appointment. The lifeguard confirmed my reservation and explained the rules: Wear your mask at all times, except for right before you get into the pool. He handed me a plastic sandwich bag to store it in at poolside. Unlike in the past, swimmers would have a lane to themselves — no lane sharing or circle swimming allowed. Lane 1 was empty, he told me, and I could go ahead and swim. Oliver’s lane, I thought: He always swam in Lane 1. The lifeguard would even transfer swimmers from that lane to another just for him because that’s where a ladder was. He always held tightly onto my arm as I guided him to the ladder, his huge flat feet flopping in swim fins. I took off my mask, put on goggles and plunged in. The water was cold — cold! The pool must have been drained, cleaned, then refilled. Oof! I pushed off, arms outstretched in a V, legs in a scissor kick, until I surfaced about a third of the way down and launched into freestyle. My stroke immediately kicked in, as if not a day had passed since March. I had wondered if it would take time — time to find my rhythm, to synchronize bilateral breathing with crawling arms and legs. But no, my body knew exactly what to do: thrust, pull, kick, rotate — swim. I touched the wall, flipped, pushed off. Lap after lap, I just swam, grateful to forget about the pandemic, grateful for my health, grateful simply to be alive — my heart racing, my body darting through the water like a dolphin freed from captivity.

Sometimes you have to hate exercise before you can love it again

<p>Britain recorded its warmest New Year's Day this time around after temperature hit 16 degrees Celsius for the first time.</p>

<p>In St. James's Park in central London, the mercury climbed to 16.2C, as per provisional reading from the Meteorological Office. The previous record was of 15.6C. It was set in Cornwall in 1916.</p>

<p>The unprecedented warm start to the year follows the UK seeing its hottest New Year's Eve on record, with several locations in England breaking previous highs set in 2011.</p>

<p>The warmth saw Somerset House in London close its ice rink on Saturday, after officials there said the balmy temperatures impacted the quality of the ice.</p>

<p>"The extremely mild spell is driven by a flow of warm, moist air from the Canary Islands, further south in the Atlantic," the Met Office said.</p>

<p>However, 2022's warm start was set to come to an abrupt end, with daytime temperatures expected to plunge to as low as 3C in the Scottish capital Edinburgh by mid-week, when colder air from the north has moved in.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Meanwhile, 2021 overall was "slightly warmer and slightly drier than average," Mike Kendon of the National Climate Information Centre, said in a summary published by the Met Office.</p>

<p>The year was "likely to fall inside the top 20 warmest years on record for the UK -- a series which begins in 1884," it added, as "our climate is warming".</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


Britain recorded its warmest New Year's Day this time around after temperature hit 16 degrees Celsius for the first time. In St. James's Park in central London, the mercury climbed to 16.

Britain recorded its warmest New Year's Day this time around after temperature hit 16 degrees Celsius for the first time. In St. James's Park in central London, the mercury climbed to 16.2C, as per provisional reading from the Meteorological Office. The previous record was of 15.6C. It was set in Cornwall in 1916. The unprecedented warm start to the year follows the UK seeing its hottest New Year's Eve on record, with several locations in England breaking previous highs set in 2011. The warmth saw Somerset House in London close its ice rink on Saturday, after officials there said the balmy temperatures impacted the quality of the ice. "The extremely mild spell is driven by a flow of warm, moist air from the Canary Islands, further south in the Atlantic," the Met Office said. However, 2022's warm start was set to come to an abrupt end, with daytime temperatures expected to plunge to as low as 3C in the Scottish capital Edinburgh by mid-week, when colder air from the north has moved in. Meanwhile, 2021 overall was "slightly warmer and slightly drier than average," Mike Kendon of the National Climate Information Centre, said in a summary published by the Met Office. The year was "likely to fall inside the top 20 warmest years on record for the UK -- a series which begins in 1884," it added, as "our climate is warming". (With inputs from agencies)

UK experiences warmest New Year's Day on record

For the world, the most popular New Year's resolution is either losing weight or saving money. What is your New Year's resolution? Palki Sharma tells you how to set achievable goals for 2022.

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As the world gear up to celebrate the start of their New Year at the beginning of January, Palki Sharma takes a look at how other cultures and countries mark the beginning of a new year.

Gravitas: How different religions and cultures celebrate the New Year

Pandemic, conflicts and climate catastrophes: 2021 was a year like no other. Old regimes were toppled and barbaric ones replaced them. Vaccines were administered by the billions, but big pharma reaped the gains. Palki Sharma takes a look back at 2021 - the year that could have been.

Gravitas 2021 rewind: Pandemic, conflicts and climate catastrophes

<p>In his New Year message Pope Francis urged everyone to "roll up our sleeves" for peace. He told the faithful to keep positive while working to build a better society.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Pope marked 55th World Day of Peace. The head of the world's 1.3 billion Catholics devoted his Angelus address to encouraging a stop to violence around the world, telling the assembled crowd at Saint Peter's Square to keep peace at the forefront of their thoughts.</p>

<p>"Let's go home thinking peace, peace, peace. We need peace," said the pope, following his Angelus prayer.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"I was looking at the images in the television programme "In His Image" today, about war, displaced people, the miseries. This is happening today in the world. We want peace."</p>

<p>Under sunny skies, the pope -- who turned 85 on December 17 -- reminded the faithful that peace required "concrete actions," such as forgiving others and promoting justice.</p>

<p>"And it needs a positive outlook as well, one that always sees, in the Church as well as in society, not the evil that divides us, but the good that unites us!" he said, speaking from the window of the Apostolic Palace.</p>

<p>"Getting depressed or complaining is useless. We need to roll up our sleeves to build peace."</p>

<p>Earlier Saturday, during mass in Saint Peter's Basilica in honour of the Virgin Mary, Francis delivered a homily in which he called violence against women an insult to God.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"The Church is mother, the Church is woman. And since mothers bestow life and women 'keep' the world, let us all make greater efforts to promote mothers and to protect women," he said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"How much violence is directed against women! Enough! To hurt a woman is to insult God, who from a woman took on our humanity."</p>

<p>On New Year's Eve, Pope Francis did not preside over vespers at St Peter's Basilica as planned, instead turning the service over to the dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the College of Cardinals.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


In his New Year message Pope Francis urged everyone to "roll up our sleeves" for peace. He told the faithful to keep positive while working to build a better society.

In his New Year message Pope Francis urged everyone to "roll up our sleeves" for peace. He told the faithful to keep positive while working to build a better society. Pope marked 55th World Day of Peace. The head of the world's 1.3 billion Catholics devoted his Angelus address to encouraging a stop to violence around the world, telling the assembled crowd at Saint Peter's Square to keep peace at the forefront of their thoughts. "Let's go home thinking peace, peace, peace. We need peace," said the pope, following his Angelus prayer. "I was looking at the images in the television programme "In His Image" today, about war, displaced people, the miseries. This is happening today in the world. We want peace." Under sunny skies, the pope -- who turned 85 on December 17 -- reminded the faithful that peace required "concrete actions," such as forgiving others and promoting justice. "And it needs a positive outlook as well, one that always sees, in the Church as well as in society, not the evil that divides us, but the good that unites us!" he said, speaking from the window of the Apostolic Palace. "Getting depressed or complaining is useless. We need to roll up our sleeves to build peace." Earlier Saturday, during mass in Saint Peter's Basilica in honour of the Virgin Mary, Francis delivered a homily in which he called violence against women an insult to God. "The Church is mother, the Church is woman. And since mothers bestow life and women 'keep' the world, let us all make greater efforts to promote mothers and to protect women," he said. "How much violence is directed against women! Enough! To hurt a woman is to insult God, who from a woman took on our humanity." On New Year's Eve, Pope Francis did not preside over vespers at St Peter's Basilica as planned, instead turning the service over to the dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the College of Cardinals. (With inputs from agencies)

Pope Francis' New Year message: 'Roll up sleeves' for peace

<p>Outbreak of Omicron variant of coronavirus dampened spirit of New Year celebrations across the world. New York scaled-down th e famous ball drop celebration in Times Square, fireworks show was cancelled in Paris and London relegated its to television.</p>

<p>The illuminated ball made of Waterford crystal panels slid down its poll at the midnight hour in Times Square, but only 15,000 spectators were allowed into the official viewing area instead of the usual 58,000.</p>

<p>As vaccines gradually became available a year ago had kindled a hope that the pandemic would be under control by the start of the year 2022. But arrival of Omicron variant has everyone on alert once again.</p>

<p>Worldwide infections hit a record high over the past seven-day period, with an average of just over a million cases detected a day between Dec. 24 and 30, up some 100,000 on the previous peak posted on Wednesday, according to Reuters data. Deaths, however, have not risen in kind, bringing hope the new variant is less lethal.</p>

<p>On Wednesday, New York reported a record of 44,000 cases of Omicron variant. On Thursday, more 43,000 cases were reported. This led some critics to question whether the celebrations should go ahead at all.</p>

<p>But officials decided an outdoor party of vaccinated, masked and socially distant revellers was safe, and a better option than the virtually vacant celebration that rung in 2021.</p>

<p>"I would be lying if I said I'm not concerned," said Sue Park, a Columbia University student who was one of the 15,000 allowed to watch in person. "Definitely I think it's worth it to come and celebrate. It will just be more meaningful to be in the crowd."</p>

<p>Elsewhere around the globe, events were scaled back or cancelled outright, such as with the traditional fireworks over the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur.</p>

<p>Midnight passed in Paris without a planned fireworks display or DJ sets, as city officials cancelled events planned on the Champs-Elysees following the advice of a scientific panel that declared mass gatherings would be too risky.</p>

<p>In the Netherlands, where outside groupings of more than four people are banned, police dispersed several thousand people who had defiantly gathered at Amsterdam's central Dam Square, ANP news agency reported.</p>

<p>But in London, where a fireworks display and light show had been cancelled in October, officials announced on Friday the spectacle would come to life on the television screen, as Big Ben rang in the New Year for the first time since 2017 following a restoration.</p>

<p>BBC images of the fireworks showed very light vehicle traffic and virtually no in-person spectators.</p>

<p>Earlier, Britain published a study of a million cases that found those with Omicron were around a third as likely to need hospitalisation as those with the previously dominant Delta variant. The results were "in keeping with the encouraging signs we have already seen," said Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser at the UK Health Security Agency.</p>

<p>In the wake of encouraging data, Cape Town abruptly lifted a curfew just in time for the New Year, after South Africa became the first country to declare its Omicron wave had crested - and with no huge surge in deaths.</p>

<p>South Africa had first raised the alarm about the new fast-spreading coronavirus variant racing around the world.</p>

<p>"I'm just hoping that Cape Town goes back to the old Cape Town that we all knew about," said Michael Mchede, manager of a Hard Rock cafe by the white sands of Camps Bay Beach, who was thrilled to get the place ready to host an unexpected bash.</p>

<p>Hours earlier, the Australian city of Sydney also feted the New Year with something like full swagger, as spectacular fireworks glittered in the harbour above the Opera House.</p>

<p>People in Madrid queued for hours to get into the main Puerta del Sol square where celebrations went ahead with multiple security checkpoints, mandatory masks and capacity at 60% of normal levels.</p>

<p>Saul Pedrero, a 34-year old clerk, made the trip from Barcelona, which has some of Spain's strictest controls, including a 1 a.m. curfew.</p>

<p>"It seems like another country. Here you can do everything and nobody says anything," he said.</p>

<p>A lavish firework display lit up the festivities, which Spaniards mark by stuffing 12 grapes into their mouths to accompany each chime of the clock striking midnight.</p>

<p>In Asia, celebrations were mostly abridged or cancelled. In South Korea https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/skorea-extend-curbs-amid-omicron-surge-serious-covid-19-cases-2021-12-31, a traditional midnight bell-ringing ceremony was cancelled for the second year, while festivities were banned in Tokyo's glittering Shibuya entertainment district, and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida took to YouTube to urge people to wear masks and limit numbers at parties.</p>

<p>China, where the coronavirus first emerged in late 2019, was on high alert, with the city of Xian under lockdown and New Year events in other cities cancelled.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>

<p><br />
&nbsp;</p>


Outbreak of Omicron variant of coronavirus dampened spirit of New Year celebrations across the world. New York scaled-down th e famous ball drop celebration in Times Square, fireworks show was cancelled in Paris and London relegated its to television.

Outbreak of Omicron variant of coronavirus dampened spirit of New Year celebrations across the world. New York scaled-down th e famous ball drop celebration in Times Square, fireworks show was cancelled in Paris and London relegated its to television. The illuminated ball made of Waterford crystal panels slid down its poll at the midnight hour in Times Square, but only 15,000 spectators were allowed into the official viewing area instead of the usual 58,000. As vaccines gradually became available a year ago had kindled a hope that the pandemic would be under control by the start of the year 2022. But arrival of Omicron variant has everyone on alert once again. Worldwide infections hit a record high over the past seven-day period, with an average of just over a million cases detected a day between Dec. 24 and 30, up some 100,000 on the previous peak posted on Wednesday, according to Reuters data. Deaths, however, have not risen in kind, bringing hope the new variant is less lethal. On Wednesday, New York reported a record of 44,000 cases of Omicron variant. On Thursday, more 43,000 cases were reported. This led some critics to question whether the celebrations should go ahead at all. But officials decided an outdoor party of vaccinated, masked and socially distant revellers was safe, and a better option than the virtually vacant celebration that rung in 2021. "I would be lying if I said I'm not concerned," said Sue Park, a Columbia University student who was one of the 15,000 allowed to watch in person. "Definitely I think it's worth it to come and celebrate. It will just be more meaningful to be in the crowd." Elsewhere around the globe, events were scaled back or cancelled outright, such as with the traditional fireworks over the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur. Midnight passed in Paris without a planned fireworks display or DJ sets, as city officials cancelled events planned on the Champs-Elysees following the advice of a scientific panel that declared mass gatherings would be too risky. In the Netherlands, where outside groupings of more than four people are banned, police dispersed several thousand people who had defiantly gathered at Amsterdam's central Dam Square, ANP news agency reported. But in London, where a fireworks display and light show had been cancelled in October, officials announced on Friday the spectacle would come to life on the television screen, as Big Ben rang in the New Year for the first time since 2017 following a restoration. BBC images of the fireworks showed very light vehicle traffic and virtually no in-person spectators. Earlier, Britain published a study of a million cases that found those with Omicron were around a third as likely to need hospitalisation as those with the previously dominant Delta variant. The results were "in keeping with the encouraging signs we have already seen," said Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser at the UK Health Security Agency. In the wake of encouraging data, Cape Town abruptly lifted a curfew just in time for the New Year, after South Africa became the first country to declare its Omicron wave had crested - and with no huge surge in deaths. South Africa had first raised the alarm about the new fast-spreading coronavirus variant racing around the world. "I'm just hoping that Cape Town goes back to the old Cape Town that we all knew about," said Michael Mchede, manager of a Hard Rock cafe by the white sands of Camps Bay Beach, who was thrilled to get the place ready to host an unexpected bash. Hours earlier, the Australian city of Sydney also feted the New Year with something like full swagger, as spectacular fireworks glittered in the harbour above the Opera House. People in Madrid queued for hours to get into the main Puerta del Sol square where celebrations went ahead with multiple security checkpoints, mandatory masks and capacity at 60% of normal levels. Saul Pedrero, a 34-year old clerk, made the trip from Barcelona, which has some of Spain's strictest controls, including a 1 a.m. curfew. "It seems like another country. Here you can do everything and nobody says anything," he said. A lavish firework display lit up the festivities, which Spaniards mark by stuffing 12 grapes into their mouths to accompany each chime of the clock striking midnight. In Asia, celebrations were mostly abridged or cancelled. In South Korea https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/skorea-extend-curbs-amid-omicron-surge-serious-covid-19-cases-2021-12-31, a traditional midnight bell-ringing ceremony was cancelled for the second year, while festivities were banned in Tokyo's glittering Shibuya entertainment district, and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida took to YouTube to urge people to wear masks and limit numbers at parties. China, where the coronavirus first emerged in late 2019, was on high alert, with the city of Xian under lockdown and New Year events in other cities cancelled. (With inputs from agencies)

Omicron threat affects New Year celebrations across the world

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The ongoing spread of the new variant has dashed hopes for many of celebrations on New Year's eve. Some major cities in Europe have already announced their flat out cancellation plans others still plan to hold their traditional iconic celebrations although at times scaled back and with caution. So who is cancelling new year's celebrations and who isn't.

New Year's Event: Who is cancelling and who is gong forward?

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