New Year's Eve sweeps across the globe, but wars cast a shadow on 2024
New Yearโs Day arrived to cheers from thousands in New Yorkโs Times Square where a sparkling crystal ball descended to start 2024 with hope for some, even as the worldโs ongoing conflicts subdued celebrations and raised security concerns across the globe.
Homebound viewers boost New Year's Eve ratings; a CNN high
NBC was the highest-rated broadcast network last week, averaging 4.6 million viewers in prime time. Fox News Channel had 1.7 million viewers, CNN had 1.6 million, Hallmark had 1.42 million, MSNBC had 1.4 million, HGTV had 1.3 million and TNT had 1.2 million. ABCโs โWorld News Tonightโ won the evening news ratings race, averaging 9.75 million viewers. College Football Bowl Studio, ESPN, 16.1 million. College Football Playoffs Semifinal, ESPN, 13.4 millionCollege Football Bowl Studio, ESPN, 13.5 million.
UK in 'eye of the storm' amid surging new coronavirus cases
A quiet Wardour Street in London, as the New Year's Eve fireworks display has been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020. (Jonathan Brady/PA via AP)LONDON โ British hospitals around the country face a perilous situation in January, medical workers warned Friday amid surging coronavirus infections blamed on a new virus variant. โIn the short term, the additional increase of vaccine efficacy from the second dose is likely to be modest. The U.K.'s main union for doctors warned that delaying the second dose causes huge scheduling problems for thousands of partially vaccinated elderly and vulnerable people. ___Follow AP coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccines and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
How people are celebrating New Yearโs Eve in downtown Northville amid COVID restrictions
NORTHVILLE, Mich. โ It may not be your normal New Yearโs Eve celebration, but many are still ready to bring in 2021 in Downtown Northville -- whether outside in the cold or something a little more warmer. โWeโre just going to go home and have some dinner, just alone with our little puppy,โ said Carol Seneker. โWell we did a little shopping in Downtown Northville today and weโre going to go home and spend it with my wife and family and bring in the new year,โ said Sean Carlson. We are, I think, all ready for 2021,โ said Mayor Turnbull. โOh yes, yes.
Asia Today: Bangkok shuts schools, entertainment venues
BEIJING โ Thailand's capital is shutting down venues including schools and entertainment areas as coronavirus cases continue to spread. Seven provinces including Bangkok have been designated red zones where places including entertainment venues, boxing rings, gyms and flea markets are ordered closed. Bangkok reported 180 cases in the last 24 hours. The requirements by the Shenyang and Dalian airports come amid a small but persistent growth in cases in the two cities located in Liaoning province just north of the capital Beijing. China on Friday reported a total of 19 new virus cases, including 10 that were brought from outside the country.
Metro Detroiters celebrate New Yearโs Eve in downtown Northville amid COVID restrictions
NORTHVILLE, Mich. โ There has never been a more anticipated end to the year than in 2020 -- and even amid the pandemic, Metro Detroiters are not missing the opportunity to say kiss the year goodbye. New Yearโs Eve celebrations in Michigan look different this year due to COVID restrictions, but some Metro Detroiters took to downtown Northville on Dec. 31, where outdoor businesses were ready to welcome them. Businesses and restaurants in downtown Northville have taken advantage of outdoor structures and heaters to continue offering services amid the stateโs coronavirus restrictions. More: Heated outdoor โpodsโ installed to keep downtown Northville businesses goingLocal 4โฒs Larry Spruill visited Northville on New Yearโs Eve and found crowds of people enjoying the outdoor space with their friends and family. LIVE STREAM: 2021 New Yearโs Eve Times Square Ball Drop virtual event
LIVE STREAM: 2021 New Yearโs Eve Times Square Ball Drop coverage
(AP Photo/Kathy Willens)NEW YORK โ Itโs a New Yearโs Eve tradition in New York -- the annual Time Square Ball Drop. Each year, millions of eyes from all over the world are focused on the sparkling Waterford Crystal Times Square New Yearโs Eve Ball. 2021 Time Square Ball Drop -- how to watch liveNew this year, Jamestown, owner of One Times Square โ home of the iconic Ball Drop Celebration โ has created a first-of-its-kind virtual New Yearโs Eve experience. Lighting and Raising the Times Square New Yearโs Eve BallThe celebration begins with the lighting and raising of the New Yearโs Eve Ball atop One Times Square. Times Square Confetti Release and Pyrotechnic EffectsThe world-famous New Yearโs Eve confetti is released from the rooftops of buildings throughout Times Square creating a celebratory blizzard of colorful confetti as revelers welcome the New Year accompanied by colorful pyrotechnic effects.
LIVE COVERAGE: 2021 New Yearโs Eve Times Square Ball Drop virtual event
(AP Photo/Kathy Willens)NEW YORK โ Itโs a New Yearโs Eve tradition in New York -- the annual Time Square Ball Drop. Each year, millions of eyes from all over the world are focused on the sparkling Waterford Crystal Times Square New Yearโs Eve Ball. 2021 Time Square Ball Drop -- how to watch liveNew this year, Jamestown, owner of One Times Square โ home of the iconic Ball Drop Celebration โ has created a first-of-its-kind virtual New Yearโs Eve experience. Lighting and Raising the Times Square New Yearโs Eve BallThe celebration begins with the lighting and raising of the New Yearโs Eve Ball atop One Times Square. Times Square Confetti Release and Pyrotechnic EffectsThe world-famous New Yearโs Eve confetti is released from the rooftops of buildings throughout Times Square creating a celebratory blizzard of colorful confetti as revelers welcome the New Year accompanied by colorful pyrotechnic effects.
LIVE STREAM: 2021 New Yearโs Eve Times Square Ball Drop virtual event
(AP Photo/Kathy Willens)NEW YORK โ Itโs a New Yearโs Eve tradition in New York -- the annual Time Square Ball Drop. Each year, millions of eyes from all over the world are focused on the sparkling Waterford Crystal Times Square New Yearโs Eve Ball. 2021 Time Square Ball Drop -- how to watch liveNew this year, Jamestown, owner of One Times Square โ home of the iconic Ball Drop Celebration โ has created a first-of-its-kind virtual New Yearโs Eve experience. Lighting and Raising the Times Square New Yearโs Eve BallThe celebration begins with the lighting and raising of the New Yearโs Eve Ball atop One Times Square. Times Square Confetti Release and Pyrotechnic EffectsThe world-famous New Yearโs Eve confetti is released from the rooftops of buildings throughout Times Square creating a celebratory blizzard of colorful confetti as revelers welcome the New Year accompanied by colorful pyrotechnic effects.
South Africans swap firecrackers for candles amid pandemic
Many South Africans will swap firecrackers for candles to mark New Year's Eve amid COVID-19 restrictions including a nighttime curfew responding to President Cyril Ramaphosa's call to light a candle to honor those who have died in the COVID-19 pandemic and the health workers who are on the frontline of battling the disease. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)JOHANNESBURG โ Many South Africans swapped firecrackers for candles to mark New Yearโs Eve amid COVID-19 restrictions including a nighttime curfew. Urging all South Africans to battle the virus, Ramaphosa called on the nation to celebrate New Yearโs Eve in a different way. Instead, the mayor of South Africa's largest city will light a candle on the landmark Nelson Mandela Bridge. At midnight he will light a candle with his family and pray for everybody who has suffered from the pandemic.
How to live stream 2021 New Yearโs Eve Times Square Ball Drop
Workers secure a panel of Waterford crystal triangles on the Times Square New Year's Eve ball, Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020, in New York. 2021 Time Square Ball Drop -- how to watch liveNew this year, Jamestown, owner of One Times Square โ home of the iconic Ball Drop Celebration โ has created a first-of-its-kind virtual New Yearโs Eve experience. Mobile Streaming (FREE):Live stream it in the video player below starting around 6 p.m.Time Square Ball Drop live schedule6:00 p.m. to 6:03 p.m. Lighting and Raising the Times Square New Yearโs Eve BallThe celebration begins with the lighting and raising of the New Yearโs Eve Ball atop One Times Square. Times Square Confetti Release and Pyrotechnic EffectsThe world-famous New Yearโs Eve confetti is released from the rooftops of buildings throughout Times Square creating a celebratory blizzard of colorful confetti as revelers welcome the New Year accompanied by colorful pyrotechnic effects.
WATCH: New Zealand rings in 2021 with fireworks display
New Zealand was one of the first to celebrate the end of 2020 on Thursday -- and they sent the year out with a bang. The Pacific Island nation celebrated with a five-minute fireworks display and light show in Auckland. Watch the spectacular show in the video player above. This New Yearโs Eve is being celebrated like no other, with pandemic restrictions limiting crowds and many people bidding farewell to a year theyโd prefer to forget. More: 2020 finally ending, but New Yearโs revelries muted by virus
Bomb-sniffing dogs? Check. Times Square crowd? Not this year
A man wears a protective mask during the coronavirus pandemic in Times Square Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020, in New York. Small groups of revelers, some wearing glittery hats, filmed their distant view of Times Square on their phones and broke out in cheers at midnight. Preparing for the worst, the New York Police Department deployed its bomb-sniffing dogs and sand-filled sanitation trucks intended to guard against explosions. โItโs dead,โ said Ali Jameel early Thursday, who owns a store a block from Times Square. โComing to Times Square is a family tradition for some.
Britain ends long Brexit journey with economic break from EU
A different U.K.-EU trade deal will bring new restrictions and red tape, but for British Brexit supporters, it means reclaiming national independence from the EU and its web of rules. Hundreds of millions of individuals in Britain and the bloc also face changes to their daily lives. Britons and EU citizens have lost the automatic right to live and work in the otherโs territory. For some in Britain, including the prime minister, itโs a moment of pride and a chance for the U.K. to set new diplomatic and economic priorities. In Scotland, which voted strongly in 2016 to remain, Brexit has bolstered support for separation from the U.K.
The Latest: Tens of thousands on Vegas strip despite warning
(AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)LAS VEGAS โ Tens of thousands of people were walking on the casino-lined Las Vegas Strip on New Yearโs Eve by early evening despite a plea from Nevada Gov. China on Friday reported a total of 19 new virus cases, including 10 that were brought from outside the country. ___LONDON โ The coronavirus pandemic canceled Londonโs annual New Yearsโ Eve fireworks display, which usually draws tens of thousands of spectators. The nationโs most populated county has about 40% of Californiaโs virus deaths. ___NASHVILLE, Tenn. โ Tennessee ends the year ranked first in coronavirus cases per capita.
New Year's revelries muted by virus as curtain draws on 2020
Fireworks and drones illuminate the night sky over London as they form a light display as London's normal New Year's Eve fireworks display was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic Thursday Dec. 31, 2020. As midnight rolled from Asia to the Middle East, Europe, Africa and the Americas, the New Yearโs experience mirrored national responses to the virus itself. Some countries and cities canceled or scaled back their festivities, while others without active outbreaks carried on like any other year. In Chinese societies, the virus ensured more muted celebrations of the solar New Year, which is less widely observed than the Lunar New Year that in 2021 will fall in February. Initial reports about a mystery respiratory illness sickening people in the Chinese city of Wuhan emerged exactly a year ago.
Michigan State Police urge people to not drink and drive New Yearโs Eve
โWeโve arrested over 70 impaired drivers this month alone,โ said Michigan State Police Lt. Michael Shaw. โWe know people are still going out, even if thereโs nowhere to go.โShaw said that number will likely increase on New Yearโs Eve. You can drink as much as you want, you can smoke as much as you want. The campaign was started in 1997 after Sandra Latham, a Detroit grandmother, was killed by celebratory gunfire sitting in her dinning room. For the 23rd year, Hood is asking residents to put away their guns and find a safer way to bring in the new year.
4 Things to do in Ann Arbor on New Yearโs Eve
ANN ARBOR, Mich. โ The year is almost over and itโs time to celebrate. Wave away 2020 with a big โbuh-byeโ with these things to do around Ann Arbor on New Yearโs Eve. Cut loose with NOW Studios, new to downtown Ann Arbor, at its free virtual NYE express your mess Eleganza Extravaganza. Join Ann Arbor District Library for a kid-friendly New Yearโs Eve Celebration! Print out these coloring pages and games courtesy of City of Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation for some light-hearted fun.
After a year like this, expect a strange New Year's Eve
FILE - In this Jan. 1, 2020, file photo, confetti falls at midnight on the Times Square New Year's Eve celebration in New York. If ever a year's end seemed like cause for celebration, 2020 might be it. (Photo by Ben Hider/Invision/AP, File)NEW YORK โ If ever a year's end seemed like cause for celebration, 2020 might be it. From New York's Times Square to Sydney Harbor, big public blowouts are being turned into TV-only shows and digital events. The occasion stirs mixed feelings for people like Cesar Soltero, who was taking photos, and taking stock, in Times Square this week.
Safe things to do during the pandemic on New Yearโs Eve in Metro Detroit
DETROIT โ Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is asking residents statewide to celebrate New Yearโs Eve locally while remaining low-key. Speaking at a COVID briefing Tuesday, Whitmer specifically asked everyone to stay home for New Yearโs Eve and New Yearโs Day. โWe are coming through the end of 2020 in a stronger position than most, because of you,โ said Whitmer. Local 4 reporter Kim DeGiulio did a little digging and found out a few things that are safe to do around Metro Detroit for the upcoming holiday.
Boylesque to host New Yearโs Eve fundraiser for frontline workers, small businesses
ANN ARBOR, Mich. โ Watch a drag show, play trivia, support small businesses and raise money for frontline workers this New Yearโs Eve. From 8 p.m. to midnight on Thursday, Ypsilanti drag group Boylesque will host a New Yearโs Eve show benefiting small businesses and frontline workers. All of the proceeds from ticket purchases and tips will be used to buy gift cards to local businesses and given to frontline workers at University of Michigan Hospital and St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Ann Arbor, according to a release. โOur goal here is to put money back into the community and give frontline workers something for all their hard work since this pandemic hit,โ the release said. Those who buy a ticket will receive an email the day of the event with a Zoom link and information about games they will play.
Michigan will not release daily COVID-19 data on 4 upcoming holidays
LANSING, Mich. โ Michigan officials will not release the number of daily COVID-19 cases or deaths on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Yearโs Eve or New Yearโs Day, the state announced. On Wednesday (Dec. 23), Michigan announced 3,443 new COVID-19 cases and 70 additional deaths, bringing the state totals to 469,928 cases and 11,775 deaths. The next update wonโt come until Saturday (Dec. 26), the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced. โWe wanted to give MDHHS staff some time off during the holidays,โ MDHHS Director Robert Gordon said. The same will be true after New Yearโs Day, with new numbers being posted Jan. 2 and Jan. 4.
Ann Arborโs TheRide announces holiday schedule changes
ANN ARBOR โ The Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority announced it will not operate its services on Dec. 25 and Jan. 1, 2021 in observance of Christmas Day and New Yearโs Day. Fixed-route bus service will end early on Christmas Eve (Dec. 24) and New Yearโs Eve (Dec. 31). The shared-ride FlexRide Holiday Service is $5 per person on holidays and operates within designated areas of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. Reservations can be made Monday through Friday and stop at 5:15 a.m. or 5 a.m. for trips outside of Ann Arbor. On Saturday and Sunday, reservations can be made until 6:15 a.m. or 6 a.m. for trips outside of Ann Arbor.
Billy Porter to join New Year's Eve show from Times Square
Last New Year's Eve, Billy Porter was working in New Orleans. This year he'll still be working โ but in New York City. The โPoseโ star will join Ryan Seacrest and Lucy Hale on ABC in Times Square on Dec. 31 for Dick Clarkโs New Yearโs Rockinโ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2020.โ The broadcast is closed to the public due to the pandemic. โ2020 has been a trying year for the world and Iโm thrilled to have Billy and Lucy join me in ushering in a new year with fresh beginnings,โ said Seacrest in a statement. As with last year, Ciara will once again oversee the Los Angeles festivities.
Brother of Olympic gymnast Biles pleads not guilty in triple slaying
(CNN) - The brother of Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles pleaded not guilty Friday to murder and other charges in connection with a shooting that killed three people in Ohio on New Year's Eve. Tevin Biles-Thomas's lawyer made the plea on his behalf in a Cleveland courtroom during the defendant's first court appearance Friday morning. The shootingOn the night of the shooting, a group of uninvited guests walked into a home and a fight began, Ohio authorities said. Biles-Thomas is the brother of Simone Biles, a five-time Olympic medalist and a 14-time world champion. Last week, Simone Biles said on Twitter that her "heart aches for everyone involved, especially for the victims and their families."
After brother charged, Simone Biles says her heart aches
(CNN) - Olympic gymnast Simone Biles said Monday night she was "still having a hard time processing last weeks news," days after her brother was charged in a New Year's Eve shooting the left three people dead in Ohio. The five-time Olympic medalist and 14-time world champion said on Twitter that her "heart aches for everyone involved, especially for the victims and their families." Tevin Biles-Thomas has been charged with murder, voluntary manslaughter, felonious assault and perjury in a December 31 shooting in Cleveland. Authorities said the shooting started after a group of uninvited guests walked into a home and a fight began. Biles-Thomas was arrested August 29 in Liberty County, Georgia, where he is being held without bond pending extradition to Cuyahoga County, the Liberty County Jail said.
Brother of Olympic gymnast Simone Biles charged in triple slaying
(CNN) - The brother of Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles has been arrested and charged in a New Year's Eve shooting in Ohio that killed three people. The charges were announced in a joint statement Cleveland Police and the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office. Biles-Thomas is the brother of Simone Biles, a five-time Olympic medalist and a 14-time world champion. He was arrested in Liberty County, Georgia, on Thursday and is being held pending extradition to Cuyahoga County, the Liberty County Jail said. CNN has reached out to Simone Biles for comment.
New Year's Eve TV events: Here's where to watch the ball drop
If you're staying in to ring in 2019, here's what you can watch on television. NBC's New Years EveTime: 10-11 p.m. ET/PT for the first half and 11:30-12:30 p.m. ET/PT for the second halfHow to watch: NBC, NBC.com/live. What to expect: Carson Daly, Chrissy Teigen and Leslie Jones are hosting NBC's New Year's Eve celebration from Times Square. Fox New Year's Eve with Steve Harvey: Live From Times Square! Times Square has put together a live, commercial-free, mobile webcast available at TimesSquareNYC.org, NewYearsEve.nyc, TimesSquareBall.net as well as on Facebook.