NEW YORK, Jan 1: Millions packed major cities around the world to usher in the New Year in party mood, but bomb attacks in Iraq and Indonesia cast an immediate shadow over attempts to shrug off terrorism fears.
Sydney was followed by Tokyo, London, New York and Rio in a chain reaction party as different time zones heralded the New Year, with fireworks, music and dancing. In nearly every venue, a heavy police presence was on duty to watch the revelry as another year started on a note of high security.
Baghdad was again gripped by violence when a powerful New Year's Eve bomb ripped through a restaurant packed with revellers in the upmarket Karrada district of the capital. Eight people died in the explosion.
Nine people were killed when a bomb exploded during a concert in Indonesia's strife-torn Aceh province. The bomb tore through the stage where the concert was being held.
Tragedy also struck in the Philippines, where the New Year is traditionally greeted with riotous revelry, when at least 15 people were killed and 22 were missing after a firecracker sparked a blaze in a market in Lucena, just south of Manila.
In the United States, flight restrictions enforced over New York, Washington, Las Vegas and Chicago ensured the most tightly controlled celebrations in living memory. But even with a "high" risk national security alert in effect, huge crowds heeded the appeals of officials to "leave the worrying to the professionals" and celebrated in style. An estimated 750,000 people counted down to midnight in Times Square and saw the traditional crystal ball illuminate the giant numerals "2004".
"We've never had a crowd this size before," enthused New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. "It's a dangerous world we live in, and we have to adjust to that, but that doesn't mean the terrorists are going to keep us (from) going about our business." In Britain, with 3,000 extra police on nationwide alert against attacks, 100,000 revellers flocked into central London to hear Big Ben ring in the new year.-AFP
