KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 31 (NNN-AGENCIES) — South Pacific island nations Samoa, Kiribati or Christmas Island were among the first countries to welcome the new decade as the clock struck midnight and marked the first day of 2020 in these nations.
In Samoa, which has a population of 200,000, the new year was greeted with fireworks as both locals and tourists joined in the celebration.
Elsewhere, Australia and New Zealand also geared up to welcome the new year. In Sydney, which has been hit with bushfire the past few weeks , celebrations were more muted than it have been in the previous years, reported Channel News Asia (CNA).
Australia’s largest city usually puts on a dazzling display of pyrotechnics over the glittering harbour but this year’s celebrations have been overshadowed by calls to cancel the fireworks as devastating bushfires rage across the country.Advertisement
Toxic smoke haze has shrouded Sydney for weeks and a petition to cancel the event out of respect for fire victims attracted more than 280,000 signatures.
Fireworks displays were scrapped in Australia’s capital, Canberra, and Sydney’s western suburbs due to elevated fire danger and extreme weather conditions but fire authorities said it was safe to go ahead over the water.
Critics wanted Sydney to use the A$6.5 million (US$4.5 million) spent on the display to fight bushfires ringing the city, but officials say the event is worth A$130 million to the economy and cancelling it would not help those impacted by the fires.
“We have committed to harnessing the enormous power of the event to raise more money for drought- and fire-affected communities,” Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.Advertisement
More than 100,000 fireworks are scheduled to light up the skyline for 12 minutes to about one million spectators who usually throng foreshores and parks.
Crowds have been warned to take care as strong winds gusted in the harbour, forcing the cancellation of a boat display that would have blasted water into the sky – just hours before the fireworks were due to start.
As the clock ticks past midnight, major cities in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas will embrace the celebrations, but in many places the festivities will be marked by turmoil and political upheaval.
After more than six months of near-daily demonstrations, Hong Kong will usher in 2019 with a series of rallies planned for New Year’s Eve.
Protesters are set to form human chains across the city, stage demonstrations at major shopping malls and hold “suck the eve” gatherings at major countdown attractions including the city’s famed Victoria Harbour.
