Big Names Lined Up For “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve”

NEW YORK (December 31, 2010)--Ke$ha and Taio Cruz headline "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest" Friday in Times Square in New York City.

Cruz plans to sing John Lennon's "Imagine."

The New Kids and Backstreet Boys will perform together.

On the West Coast, the lineup includes Avril Lavigne, Ne-Yo, Drake and Train.

Jennifer Hudson will be there, too, along with Natasha Bedingfield and Willow Smith. Black Eyed Peas will host the West Coast part of the show.

You'll be able to buy Taio (TY'-oh) Cruz's cover of John Lennon's "Imagine" starting Saturday through Jan. 31 on iTunes.

Proceeds from sales will go to Big Brothers and Big Sisters.

Avril Lavigne will debut her new song "What the Hell" Friday and she’ll offer free downloads of the song on her Facebook page for 48 hours starting Saturday.

 http://wsjr.nl/New York.html

Taio Cruz performs at Times Square on New Year’s Eve 2011 (Video)

Tonight Taio Cruz performed a medley for the crowds in Times Square. The entertainer sang a medley of his hits for ‘Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve.’ One of the dozen acts tonight seen on the streets of New York City, the entertainer had the crowd moving and singing while waiting for Midnight to ring in the New Year 2011.

Looking like he was having a great time, Cruz interacted with the crowd during his performance and wore his stylish trademark sunglasses. The stage, set above the crowd and in perfect angles of the camera not only helped capture the performance of the night but shared the excitement in Times Square.

Statue of liberty's City New year Eve

The year 2010 sucked for Longhorns, no two ways about it. Don't you really wish somebody had told you a year ago what to expect? Well, we've seen the light, been to Jan 01 2012, and know the future. Read this column then go to Vegas and bet on its outcomes a la Marty McFly BTTF II style. Just remember, you heard it here first.

After the jump, a gaze into the crystal ball that is the year in sports 2011*.

January --

TCU beats Wisconsin 27-21 in the Rose Bowl. UCONN shocks Oklahoma 31-30 in the Fiesta Bowl with a Statue of Liberty play on the game winning two point conversion. Bob Stoops calls it his team's best performance in a BCS Bowl in nearly a decade.

It's Stanford over Va Tech in the Orange Bowl and Ohio State over Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl. Auburn defeats Oregon 38-34 to win the national championship.

Gus Malzahn is named offensive coordinator at Texas. Malzahn refuses to comment on how much money Texas has offered him to come, but when asked why he would leave Auburn and his purported $3 million salary Malzahn replies "cha-ching!" Teryl Austin and Justin Wilcox named co-defensive coordinators.

Barnes' Bunch goes 7-2, with wins over UCONN and Oklahoma State but losses at Aggy and Kansas.

Sources in Bellmont suggest Coach Boom is showing signs of regret leaving Austin for Gainesville.

Titans hire Greg Davis as offensive coordinator to fix their offense. Broncos hire Urban Meyer as head coach. Meyer acknowledges in his opening press conference that he "can't quit" Tim Tebow.

February --

New England defeats Philadelphia 28-20 to win Super Bowl XLV in Dallas. Danny Woodhead scores two TDs and takes home the MVP award.

Basketball goes 7-2 with losses in Norman and Lincoln. Baseball sweeps Maryland and Hawaii to begin the season 8-0.

Brett Favre announces that he is 99.9% sure that he will retire from the NFL. Sources in Bellmont suggest Brown is considering hiring the Mississippi Junk Slinger as quarterbacks coach.

Mack Brown inks the #2 overall recruiting class in the country, headlined by Malcolm Brown and Christian Westerman who decides to come to Austin afterall to play for new OL coach Kasey Studdard.

March --

Sources indicate Jerry Gray is in Austin to consult with Rick Barnes on the effectiveness of his 2-3 zone defense.

Texas falls to Baylor in Waco to finish the regular season 22-7 (11-5 Big XII) and the 3 seed in the Big XII tournament. The Horns earn a 4 seed in the NCAA tournament and beats and Morehead State and Villanova before falling in the Sweet 16 to Ohio State.

Baseball goes 14-3, dropping single games in series against Stanford, Kansas State and Oklahoma State.

UCONN, Ohio State, Pitt and Kansas make the Final Four.

April --

UCONN wins a rematch with Pitt to win the national championship in basketball. Jordan Hamilton declares for the NBA draft but Cory Joseph and Tristan Thompson announce that they will return to Texas in order to make history as the first Longhorns team to feature three Canadians.

Nick Fairley goes #1 overall to Carolina in the NFL Draft. Andrew Luck goes #2 to Cincinnati. Aaron Williams and Curtis Brown are the first Longhorn two selected, going in the late second and early third rounds respectively. Sam Acho goes in the 5th round to the Bears.

Baseball sweeps Mizzou but drops its first series of the year at Baylor. The Horns sweep the rest of the month other than a midweek loss to UTSA to improve to 30-6.

Mack Brown claims the upcoming summer practices will be like "a stay at the Hanoi Hilton." Kirk Bohls publicly decries Brown as Longhorn fans applaud the sentiment.

May --

Baseball drops a series at Lincoln and takes two of three from Aggy to win the Big XII regular season crown. The Horns go 3-1 in the Big XII tournament, beating Missouri to take that crown too and end the season 37-10. The Horns earn the #5 national seed.

Sources indicate Jerry Gray has been called back to Austin to consult with Augie Garrido on Kevin Lusson's defense at 3B.

June --

Baseball easily advances to a Super Regional matchup against Oklahoma. The Horns drop the Friday game but come back to take the next two and advance to Omaha where they are eliminated by TCU.

Taylor Jungmann goes #6 in the MLB draft to the Washington Nationals. Cole Green goes in the second round to the Boston Red Sox.

The Boston Celtics defeat the San Antonio Spurs in six games to win the NBA Championship. Rajon Rondo named MVP. AO receives a championship ring and will appear on an episode of Pawn Stars attempting to pawn it in 2012.

July --

Sources indicate Will Muschamp is having serious second thoughts after spending two hours searching for decent TexMex in Gainesville the wee hours of the morning.

The temperature in Austin reaches 110 degrees for 20 straight days. Somewhere Al Gore smiles.

Tiger Woods wins the British Open, ending his major championship drought.

August --

Fall practice begins. Mack Brown unveils the team's new slogan is "The beatings will continue until morale improves." Some feel it is less inspirational than previous incarnations such as "We are Texas!" and "One heartbeat." Texas fans on the whole applaud it.

Malcolm Brown named starting running back. Case McCoy pushes Garrett Gilbert for the starting quarterback spot but is ultimately beat out by an improved Gilbert.

Each newspaper in Texas writes a fluff piece highlighting Gilbert's growth, both muscles and maturity. Gilbert comes across as unhappy with his 2010 performance.

September --

Oregon starts out the year #1 followed by #2 LSU. Texas falls in the "also receiving votes" in the preseason AP, although Hopkins Horn points out that the Horns have more votes than both UCONN and USC.

Texas defeats Rice 41-10 to begin the 2011 campaign. Malcolm Brown has 135 rushing yards and two scores in his first collegiate action. Garrett Gilbert has a personal foul called for unnecessary roughness after punching a Rice defender attempting to intercept a batted ball.

The Horns beat BYU and wallop UCLA 66-3.

October --

The Horns handle Iowa State and Garrett Gilbert hits Mike Davis for a 14 yard touchdown with 1:32 remaining to give Texas a 28-27 victory over #3 Oklahoma. Jackson Jeffcoat seals things with a sack & fumble recovery with under a minute to play. A dejected Kirk Bohls is seen sobbing quietly in the media room shortly before the postgame press conference.

Texas beats Oklahoma State, Baylor and Kansas to go 7-0 and ranked #3 behind still undefeated Oregon and LSU.

The Philadelphia Phillies defeat the Boston Red Sox in seven games to take the World Series. Cliff Lee named MVP with wins in games Three and Seven.

The Titans start 8-0 behind a revamped offensive system which has enabled Vince Young to be Vince.

November --

Texas beats Texas Tech but falls at Missouri to end a national championship run. Fans call for Greg Davis to be fired out of habit.

The Horns beat Kansas State. Students across campus claim to see demons rising to the heavens from DKR following Mack's first win over KSU in a seeming lifetime. Texas beats Texas A&M 30-17 behind 165 yards rushing from Malcolm Brown. Ryan Tannehill joins a long line of Aggy quarterbacks to disappoint in their senior season.

Texas claims the Big XII title over a Missouri team with losses to OU and Aggy. Mack Brown tells Krik Bohls he can "suck it" at the postgame press conference.

Rick Barnes' squad starts the new season #5 in the rankings.

December --

Texas earns a Fiesta Bowl bid against 5-7 West Virginia. Nobody is quite sure how the Mountaineers won the Big East, but there they are.

The New Orleans Saints go 14-2 to claim the #1 seed in the NFC. The Indianapolis Colts go 14-2 to claim the #1 seed in the AFC.

Gus Malzahn leaves Texas to become head coach at Michigan, claiming the pay will be about the same but he likes the additional responsibility. Teryl Austin is named head coach at Nebraska after Bo Pelini is fired for giving Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany the "Mangino Treatment". Justin Wilcox takes the head coaching job at Illinois.

Vince Young wins NFL comeback player of the year for the 14-2 Titans. A new website HireGregDavis.com comes online although its online petition gathers few signatures.

Major Applewhite promoted to Texas offensive coordinator. Texas fans rejoice.

Sources inside Bellmont indicate Will Muschamp is extremely unhappy with an 8-4 performance and a general inability to find a Mexican Martini. Muschamp returns to Texas on December 31st as the new defensive coordinator and head coach-in-waiting.

Happy New Year BON!

(source:burntorangenation.com)

New Year's Eve -- Live from Times Square

New Year's Eve 2010-2011 New York City Fireworks (HD)

New Year's 2011 Celebrations Begin Across 

the Globe

London on "New Years Eve" terror alert

London is bracing itself for a potential terror attack on New Years with the Met Police deploying over 3,000 police officers in central London to secure revellers celebrating the start of 2011.

The current "threat levels" from terrorist attack has remained "severe" in the UK, with security services outlining that London is at risk from attacks from Al Qaida who may use shootings, kidnappings, chemical biological radiological devices(CBRs) to attack. In the run up to Christmas arrests were made of British Bangladeshis who according to reports from the police, conspired to bomb the Stock Exchange, Big Ben and other landmark targets in London.

Security services are particularly concerned that suicide bombers with automatic rifles could randomly fire at large crowds, which has lead to elite armed units of the Met Police manning roof tops in central London and patrolling roads in the capital during the festive season.

The recent attack in Stockholm by an Iraqi based in Luton has highlighted, security analysts assert, that the UK has become a training ground for Islamic fundamentalists to pursue campaigns of terror in Europe and beyond.

A large firework display at the London Eye will mark midnight and celebrations will take place in pubs and bars across the capital, with Londoners warned to be aware of any individuals they regard as suspicious.

Superintendent Julia Pendry, from the Metropolitan Police, said: "New Year's Eve in London is all about fun and celebration and we all want to have a great time. We'll be out on the streets helping to keep people safe and to ensure that those who attend to watch the fireworks have an enjoyable time.

The official guidance notes on security threats are below:

Shootings

Al Qaida have orchestrated a campaign of shootings and close quarter attacks targeted against Westerners in Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Most recently, on 6 December 2004, gunmen mounted an assault on the US consulate in the Saudi city of Jeddah, in which five of the consulate staff and four of the attackers were killed. Al Qaida claimed responsibility for this attack. In Europe, an extremist shot dead the Dutch film maker Theo van Gogh in Amsterdam in November 2004.

Kidnappings

There has been an increase in the number of kidnappings taking place, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan. The kidnapping of UK citizen Kenneth Bigley in Iraq in September 2004 resulted in his murder.

Surface to air missiles

An unsuccessful missile attack was attempted on an Israeli charter plane departing from Mombasa, Kenya, in November 2002. Similar attacks have been carried out in recent months against coalition aircraft in Iraq.

Chemical, biological and radiological (CBR) devices

To date, no such attacks have taken place in the UK. Alternative methods of attack, such as explosive devices, are more reliable, safer and easier for terrorists to acquire or use. Nevertheless, it is possible that Al Qaida and some other associated networks may seek to use chemical, biological or radiological material against the West. Usama bin Laden has referred to such devices on several occasions. In November 2001, he said that "if America used chemical or nuclear weapons against us, then we may retort with chemical and nuclear weapons. We have the weapons as a deterrent".

In a June 2002 article, Al Qaida spokesman Sulaiman Abu Gaith also said "it is our right to fight [the Americans] with chemical and biological weapons".

In April 2005, Kamel Bourgass, an Algerian with known links to Al Qaida, was convicted of plotting to manufacture and spread poisons, including ricin, in the UK.

Police advice on New Years Eve:

- Few simple tips to make sure that if you're coming into the Capital to celebrate everything goes as planned.

- If you have attended the event in previous years, access to the viewing areas, walking routes and station closures have changed for 2010, therefore please check the viewing area map before you set out.

Visit http://www.london.gov.uk/get-involved/festivals/newyearseve/viewing-fire works for more information.

- Consider walking to a tube station a bit further away as stations like Waterloo and Charing Cross may mean long waits.

- Road closures to facilitate the celebrations will be put in place from 16:00hrs and have been agreed with the event organisers.

- Public transport is the best way to get around the capital. Advice to motorists is to leave your vehicle at home.

(source:thelondondailynews.com)

Ushered in a mostly trouble-free New Year

Police around the country are reporting a mostly trouble-free New Year's Eve with arrests being predominantly drinking and disorder related.

Wellington police reported 20 arrests, mainly for disorder offences. One incident involved a 39-year-old woman who fell off Glasgow Wharf into Wellington Harbour. The woman was rescued by two locals and taken to hospital.

Thousands of party-goers descended on the Nelson region overnight. There were 1400 visitors at Maitai Camp and 2000 at Kaiteriteri. A pub concert at Riwaka Hotel attracted around 1700 punters with no problems reported.

Nelson police made 21 arrests, also mainly for disorder. Area commander Inspector Brian McGurk says the strife-free New Year comes down to a high police presence and careful planning.

Nearly 12,000 people celebrated in Cathedral Square in Christchurch. Police reported only a few isolated incidents which they got onto quickly before they got out of hand.

In all there were 69 arrests in the city's CBD, mostly for breaches of the liquor ban and disorder offences.

Head of the New Year's night operation Inspector Derek Erasmus says overall everyone was well-behaved.

"Police have been kept busy across the city tonight, however overall once Cathedral Square cleared it was quieter than the last two years."

In Auckland, police made 42 arrests from seven last night to seven this morning.

No arrests were made in Gisborne where 25,000 people packed into the Rhythm and Vines festival.

A large waterfront crowd in Wanaka resulted in only 13 arrests for minor offences. One driver was charged for exceeding the breath alcohol limit out of 1000 drivers tested.

Traditional hotspots Tauranga and Mount Maunganui are said to be have been relatively peaceful with heavy enforcing of liquor bans preventing major problems.

(source:nzcity.co.nz)

New Year's Eve :Auckland

The second decade of the millennium arrived in relative peace and quiet throughout most of the country and police say it is because widespread liquor bans let them keep drunken troublemakers under tight control.

In Auckland the noisiest part of the New Year's Eve celebration was the $100,000 fireworks display from the top of the Sky Tower in the central city, and from two barges in Waitemata Harbour.

The boom of the fireworks going off was heard on the North Shore and in other parts of Auckland several kilometres from the centre of the city.

Auckland police said it was a relatively quiet night although they conceded the city tended to empty out for New Year, with many people heading for some of the holiday hot spots in the Bay of Plenty and in the Far North.

Details of numbers arrested in Auckland and in the Bay of Plenty were not immediately available although Tauranga police spokeswoman, Jacky James said Mt Maunganui and Tauranga were relatively peaceful.

She said the liquor bans allowed police to kept the troublemakers and drunks out of the areas where people wanted to see the New Year in without the major disorder caused by alcohol.

"They (the liquor bans) are there exactly for that reason so we can police the liquor ban and prevent major disorder.

"We make no apologies for that because it helps prevent problems."

Liquor bans were first introduced in Tauranga in 2004 but amended in 2008 to make the bans permanent 24 hours a day.

In Gisborne the Rhythm and Vines concert attracted about 25,000 people but police reported few incidents.

In the Nelson area 21 people were arrested, including six for disorderly offences and five for being drunk. Three were also arrested for breaching bail conditions, three for assault and two for breaching the liquor ban.

Nelson police said there were also arrests for possession of cannabis and disqualified driving and three drivers were processed for alleged drink driving.

The Maitai Camp in Nelson had about 1400 young people on New Year's Eve. Police said numbers were down from last year but campers and visitors were well behaved and there were no problems.

"We made a point of adopting a high profile, being very visible as we moved around and dealing with the little things before they had a chance of getting out of hand" said Inspector Brian McGurk.

He said careful planning and good organisation produced a quiet night.

In Cathedral Square in Christchurch nearly 12,000 people welcomed in the New Year.

Police said they were pleased with the trouble-free behaviour.

Inspector Derek Erasmus said it was good to see so many families and tourists enjoying the city's night life, the entertainment, and fireworks.

"Overall everyone behaved well, with only a few isolated incidents that police were able to control before they escalated."

There were 69 arrests in the central business district, most for breaches of the liquor ban and disorder.

"Police have been kept busy across the city tonight, however overall once Cathedral Square cleared, it was quieter than the last two years."

Wellington police reported a quiet night in the capital, with 20 arrests, mostly for disorder.

In one of the few Wellington incidents, a 39-year-old woman fell off Glasgow Wharf into Wellington Harbour. She was rescued by two locals, one an employee of Bluebridge Ferry, and was taken to Wellington Hospital.

In Wanaka in Central Otago police said they were also pleased with crowd behaviour.

A large crowd gathered at the waterfront and at pubs and bars in the town but police said it was a family affair and only 13 people were arrested, mostly for minor offences.

Police also stopped more than 1000 motorists but only one was over the legal breath-alcohol limit, said Senior Sergeant Allan Grindell.

"Wanaka is a safe and desirable place to live and visit and this result clearly reinforces this," he said.

(source:nzherald.co.nz)

New Year’s texts, calls expected to clog global cellular networks

MIAMI — At the stroke of midnight, millions of people — twice as many as last year — will be typing on their phones instead of kissing a loved one.

Carriers say texts and voice calls are expected to triple from 11:59 to midnight New Year’s Eve. And compared to last year’s countdown, there will be twice as many texters and three times as many people sending photos.

Don’t be surprised if that text message wishing Mom a happy New Year isn’t delivered until well into 2011, or doesn’t make it on the first try, especially if you’re in a crowded area.

Put simply, the current technology isn’t designed to flawlessly handle everyone sending a text message at the same time, despite continual improvements. It isn’t easy to keep up with the growing demand for bandwidth in a smart-phone-armed society.

“If money was no object ... there still would be customers who would not get all their text messages precisely at 12:01 on New Year’s Day,” said Sprint spokesman John Taylor.

Carriers say they’re prepared for the deluge of messages, but say it’s more likely that delays will happen for messages that travel between different carriers, rather than between two people under the same network.

But in the case of an event bigger than the ball drop — such as a Super Bowl or hurricane — the carriers deploy extra mobile cell sites to handle the demand. That’s not seen as being necessary for a 10-minute burst of messages.

Even if carriers had the money to build a data highway that would never have a voice or data traffic jam, they are limited in how much airwave real-estate they can use, called wireless spectrum.

Spectrums are frequencies assigned to radio, television, satellites, the military — and another chunk is assigned for phones. The slice of spectrum available for cell phones has grown 10 times larger since the 1970s, but there’s still not enough, said Stu Lipoff, an engineering consultant and board member of the IEEE Consumer Electronics Society.

“It turns out the demand and the need are growing faster than the available spectrum,” Lipoff said.

Lipoff offers a tip: On New Year’s Eve, users might have more luck sending a midnight greeting via photo message or e-mail versus a plain text message.

That’s because plain text-only messages travel on a separate, smaller pathway than other phone voice and data services. So in theory, if everyone is backed up on the texting road, users could have an easier time sending a message on the larger voice and data super-highway.

But Lipoff has a better method of welcoming his family into the New Year:

“I can use the highest-bandwidth system I know, which is shouting across the room and giving everyone a hug.”

(source:vancouversun.com)

New Year's around the globe

Multicoloured starbusts and gigantic sparklers lit the midnight sky over Sydney Harbour in a dazzling fireworks show witnessed by 1.5 million enthusiastic spectators who camped out all day to ring in the new year.

Sydney touted its claim to be the New Year's Eve capital of the world with a spectacular display over the iconic Harbour Bridge using 7 tons of fireworks, its largest since 2000.

''Stunning, beautiful,'' said Cinthya Romo, 32, a Sydney-based interpreter from Chile who watched the 12-minute fireworks show from the Opera House.

''Sydney's best show yet,'' exclaimed George Stamp, who enjoyed the show with his children.

Luxury yachts and smaller boats filled the harbour to party on the water, while others crammed into pubs, clubs and only balconies with a view of the fireworks show.

At the Opera Bar Beach House, hundreds of people paid up to $500 for the view and a party with a beach theme.

''This has got to be the best place to be in the world tonight,'' said guest Marc Wilson, 41.

A few hours earlier, New Zealand and many South Pacific island nations were first to see in new year.

New Zealanders sang and danced their way into 2011, with firework displays and sold-out concerts entertaining revelers.

In Auckland, explosions of red, gold and white burst over the Sky Tower while tens of thousands shouted, danced and sang in the streets below.

In Christchurch, thousands of partiers shrugged off a minor 3.3 earthquake that struck just before 10pm and celebrated in Cathedral Square. The city has rumbled with thousands of aftershocks from a powerful 7.1-magnitude quake that damaged buildings across the city on September 4.

As the clock ticked closer to 2011, cities across Asia readied for midnight events ranging from traditional prayers in Japan to a massive pyrotechnic display in the shape of a dragon in Taiwan. Europeans were looking forward to celebrations that could help them forget their economic worries.

In New York City, nearly a million revelers were expected to cram into the streets around Times Square to watch the traditional midnight ball drop. The 20-inch snowstorm that blanketed the city will be just a memory thanks to work crews and warmer temperatures.

At midnight Thursday - with just 24 hours to go - hundreds of people milled around Times Square as crews finished preparing TV sets for New Year's Eve broadcasts and vendors sold hats and noisemakers.

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Among the tourists were students from Grand Valley State University near Grand Rapids, Michigan, who were scoping out a good location for Friday night and marveling at the preparations.

''For sure, we're going to be here,'' said Ahmed Lachheb, 23, from Sfax, Tunisia.

''I'm going to be here near the closest restroom just in case,'' added Mohamed Azuz, also 23, from Tripoli, Libya.

This year marks the first time Vietnam's capital, Hanoi, officially celebrates the new year with a countdown blowout, complete with a light show and foreign DJs in front of the city's elegant French colonial-style opera house.

Vietnamese typically save their biggest celebrations for Tet, the lunar new year that begins on Feb. 3. But in recent years, the Western influence has started seeping into Vietnamese culture among teens, who have no memory of war or poverty and are eager to find a new reason to party in the Communist country.

At midnight in Taipei, Taiwan, fireworks will form a spiraling dragon climbing up the city's tallest skyscraper.

In Japan, New Year's Eve is generally spent at home with family but those who venture out go to temples to pray for good luck in the new year. At Zojoji, a 600-year-old Buddhist temple in central Tokyo, thousands were expected to release balloons at midnight carrying notes with their hopes for 2011.

In the Philippines, powerful firecrackers have injured at least 245 people in recent days and Health Secretary Enrique Ona urged safety during Friday's celebrations, saying he feared up to 1,000 injuries.

Many Filipinos, influenced by Chinese tradition, believe that noisy New Year's celebrations drive away evil and misfortune. But they have carried that superstition to extremes, exploding huge firecrackers sometimes bigger than dynamite sticks to welcome the new year.

In Europe, many people will be partying simply to forget their economic woes after a year that saw Greece and Ireland needing financial bailouts and others, such as Spain and Portugal, battling speculation that they will need similar aid.

In London, thousands will witness a musical and firework display at the 135-meter high London Eye, located on the southern banks of the Thames River. The Eye, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, lies almost opposite the Big Ben clock tower at Parliament that will chime in 2011.

If not at home or at private parties, Spaniards traditionally gather in their main town squares to eat 12 grapes one by one as the bell in the square marks the countdown to 2011.

In Berlin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in her New Year message that Europe is dealing with a major test and must strengthen the euro, even as she celebrated Germany's emergence from the economic crisis, powered by strong exports.

Merkel said in her televised message being broadcast Friday that ``it was a good year for Germany.'

(source:stuff.co.nz)

Russia arrests opposition leaders on New Year's Eve

MOSCOW — Russian police on Friday detained several opposition leaders among nearly 120 protesters during New Year's Eve rallies held in central Moscow and Saint Petersburg, news reports said.

Moscow authorities allowed the opposition to stage a traditional end-of-month demonstration to assert their right to gather under the Russian constitution.

The 300-strong crowd chanted slogans in support of the jailed Kremlin critic and former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, whose jail term was extended by six years Thursday, and called for broader political freedoms, news reports said.

But several opposition leaders, including former first deputy prime minister Boris Nemtsov, broke through police lines, prompting their immediate arrest, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.

Nemtsov, a key leader of Russia's liberal opposition, was to be kept in police custody until Sunday, opposition activist Lyudmila Alexeyeva told the Interfax news agency.

Police also detained Eduard Limonov, an opposition writer and leader of the radical National Bolshevik Party, near his Moscow home about an hour before he and his supporters were to hold an unsanctioned rally alongside the authorised one.

Shortly after his arrest, a court sentenced Limonov to 15 days in prison for insulting police during his detention, a court spokesman, Pyotr Chenik, was quoted as saying by the RIA Novosti news agency.

"They wrote in the police report that I made rude remarks and violated the public order law," Limonov told Moscow Echo radio, calling the allegation "a lie".

Ilya Yashin, the leader of the youth wing of the liberal Yabloko group, was also detained during the Moscow protest, news reports said.

Russian police said they detained 68 people in Moscow and 50 in Saint Peterburg during two unsanctioned rallies.

Opposition leaders call regular demonstrations on the 31st day of the month in honour of Article 31 of the constitution, granting Russians freedom of assembly.

Moscow authorities have until recent months refused to sanction such rallies, prompting frequent scuffles with the police.

There were no initial reports of violence during Friday's demonstrations.

(source:afp)

CTA to Offer Penny Rides for New Year's Eve; Chicago Event Ideas

Chicago - Once again the CTA will be offering penny rides on all trains and buses the night of New Year’s Eve.

Penny rides will start at 8 p.m. and end at 6 a.m. on Saturday.

Several bus and train routes will also have later service hours to accommodate for the holiday and offer a safe option for travelers.

If you’re still looking for some ideas for how to celebrate New Year's Eve, one of the best places to ring in the New Year will be the North State Street outpost Pops for Champagne. It's offering a light menu until 8:30 p.m., with the Jason Ellis Quartet on deck to play from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.

If you're looking for a bit of music -- and emo-punk at that -- you might want to head down to Reggie's Rock Club on South State Street and catch the Smoking Popes.

For a campy way to bring in the New Year, there's the film being screened at the Music Box Theatre on Southport. Chicago personality Richard Knight, performing as his Dick O'Day sleazy lounge host character, will emcee a screening of The Poseidon Adventure, the water-logged film about an ocean liner sinking on New Year's Eve.

A much more traditional way to greet 2011 will be at Navy Pier to check out the annual fireworks display.

There will be two shows. One is at 8:30 p.m. for those not wanting to wait until midnight, plus a second fireworks extravaganza carefully scheduled to start at exactly 11:59 p.m.

(source:myfoxchicago.com)

LAHOREلاہور New Year’s Eve: City too dry and too wet

LAHOREلاہور:Pakistan- A shortage of whiskey and bad weather are hampering arrangements for New Year’s Eve parties across the city tonight.

The price of Black Label, one of the most popular brands of whiskey among Lahoris, has doubled since a consignment destined for this city’s black market for alcohol was confiscated in Islamabad a month ago, said bootleggers. A bottle of Black Label is now selling for Rs8,000-9,000, they said.

A party planner for a ticketed event tonight said that the whiskey shortage is being compensated for with vodka and wine.

“We’ve been getting Chivas Regal [another scotch brand] but that is now running short too,” he said.

A private party organiser said he had cut his guest list down to close family and friends because of the exorbitant cost of alcohol.

A bootlegger who has been supplying liquor to people’s houses in Lahore for 10 years said that alcohol shortages were common at this time of year, but this time the shortage was severe.

“Liquor runs short prior to New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day every year but this is the worst whiskey shortage I have seen,” he said.

An organiser with an event management company that is hosting its first event at a farmhouse in Bedian tonight said that he had asked friends in Islamabad to bring him “the good stuff” from contacts in the capital before the party. “We are stocking up on beer and red and white wine here,” he said.

Another bootlegger said that most customers did not want to buy Russian vodka, since the labels on the bottles were faded and their clients might think the product to be of poor quality or adulterated.

“Most bootleggers in Lahore only sell the good quality stuff because the customers are high-end and experienced enough to tell the difference,” he said.

Heavy weather

Meanwhile, several organisers were forced to make last minute arrangements as the rain, forecast to continue over the weekend, ruined plans for outdoor parties. Salman Ali of Insomnia said he was negotiating with hotels in and around Gulberg to host his party since their plan for an outdoor event had to be cancelled.

Imtisal Zafar of Verve, another event management company, insisted that the whiskey shortage and rain would not affect celebrations of the new year.

Lahore’s event management companies including Sammy PR, Carousel and Manior’s have organised at least seven parties in the city. However JnS, another popular company, has decided to organise its New Year’s Eve bash in Karachi this year.

Parties are also to be hosted at Gulberg restaurants Ciro’s Pomodoro, Verandah Bistro and Cosa Nostra.

(source:tribune.com.pk)