New Year's Eve

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R-Rated Razz Lands Griffin in Hot Water

CNN red-faced after off-color reply to heckler goes out live

(Newser) - CNN may not be asking Kathy Griffin to host another New Year's Eve special after her ribald reply to a heckler made its way onto live TV, the New York Post reports. "Screw you!" the comedian, who says she thought she was off-air at the time, yelled at...

Brit's Beau Meets Folks— or Is This a Hoax?

Sources place Sandip in US, but reports say it's all phony

(Newser) - It seems like only yesterday Britney was shaving her head and dating bad boys—now she’s (supposedly) cooking dinner and introducing her new boyfriend to her parents, the Daily Mirror reports. A source claims Bollywood choreographer Sandip Soparrkar flew to the US to spend New Year’s Eve with...

Pyrotechnics Likely Caused Thai Club Fire

Club was ill-equipped for fire safety

(Newser) - Firecrackers or a pyrotechnic New Year's display are the likely culprits in last night’s Bangkok nightclub blaze that killed 61 people and injured 200, the BBC reports. Witnesses said flames shot from a stage set the ceiling on fire, which then fell onto terrified partygoers. “People were screaming...

Aspen Bomb Plot Suspect Kills Himself

Pair of threats paralyzed resort town for New Year's Eve

(Newser) - Jim Blanning, the 72-year-old parolee police suspect sent threatening notes and mysterious packages to a pair of Aspen banks yesterday, was found dead east of town this morning, having apparently shot himself, the Denver Post reports. Police identified Blanning, a former Aspen native now living in Denver, from bank security...

Dozens Perish in Bangkok Club Fire

(Newser) - Fire swept through a high-class Bangkok nightclub jammed with several hundred New Year's revelers early yesterday, killing at least 59 people and injuring more than 200, the AP reports. A number of foreigners were among the casualties from the blaze, which erupted shortly after midnight. Victims died from burns, smoke...

Dow Rises 108 to End Year
 Dow Rises 108 to End Year 
MARKETS
Dec 31, 2008 3:21 PM CST

Dow Rises 108 to End Year

Dow off 33%, S&P down 40% for 2008

(Newser) - Stocks posted gains in the last trading session of the year, but this two-day rally will do little to erase the indices' dismal record in 2008, MarketWatch reports. Amid light trading volume ahead of New Year's Day, the Dow gained 108 points to close at 8,776. The Nasdaq closed...

Arab States Cancel New Year's Festivities

Celebrations halted in solidarity with Gaza

(Newser) - Dubai's ruler has canceled its ritzy public New Year's Eve celebrations "in solidarity with the Palestinian people" in Gaza, the Times of London reports. Festivities also were called off in Egypt, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. In Dubai, residents and tourists scrambled to come up with alternative plans. "We...

World Bids 2008 Good Riddance
 World Bids 2008 Good Riddance 
Dec 31, 2008 9:57 AM CST

World Bids 2008 Good Riddance

Revelers hope 2009 will bring better luck

(Newser) - Fireworks exploded over Sydney's shimmering harbor today, as the world's first major city to ring in 2009 celebrated the end of a rocky year with cheers, beers, and a sense of relief. "I'm looking forward to 2009," said a spectator. "Because it can't get much worse."...

Clintons to Lead NYC New Year's Countdown

Clintons will join Bloomberg for ceremonial ball drop

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton will get a raucous sendoff from her adopted hometown New Year's Eve, when the New York senator is slated to join hubby Bill and Mayor Michael Bloomberg as they push the ceremonial button to signal the descent of Times Square's iconic ball, Reuters reports. That begins the 60-second...

From Now 'Til New Year's: Baby-Making on the Rise

Increased leisure time and resolutions the cause

(Newser) - The gifts have been opened, but a special package may be arriving 9 months from now. The days between Christmas and the start of the New Year see more sex than usual, reports McClatchy Newspapers, which cite Trojan condom's pre-New Year's sales as proof.  The hanky panky results in...

Time Will Stand Still at Midnight New Year's Eve

Timekeepers make 2008 a second longer to compensate for Earth's wonky rotation

(Newser) - The last minute of the last hour of the last day of 2008 is getting an extension, LiveScience reports. The world's timekeepers are tacking an extra "leap second" onto the end of the year to allow super-accurate clocks to get back in synch with the planet's irregular but gradually...

Budget Bubbles for New Year's
 Budget Bubbles for New Year's 
Dec 27, 2008 1:54 AM CST

Budget Bubbles for New Year's

Quality rivals mean champagne prices shouldn't take the bubbles out of festive drinking

(Newser) - Champagne may feel like a vestige of a world without a credit crisis, but there's no need to go without bubbly on New Year's Eve. Slate offers some moderately priced options:
  • Cava is Spain's answer to champagne, made by the same method. A thrifty seeker of festive spirits can pick
...

New Year's SMS Jam Sends Bad Message

Experts worry about network overloads in future crises

(Newser) - When the ball dropped to usher in 2008 so many people texted New Year's tidings that mobile networks jammed, the AP reports. Sadly, this is nothing new: Bounced missives in the midst of disasters like 9/11, the '03 blackout, and Katrina can be life and death matters. But full backup...

Wary World Welcomes 2008
Wary World Welcomes 2008
Jan 1, 2008 5:05 AM CST

Wary World Welcomes 2008

In New York, Times Square ball makes 100th fall

(Newser) - From Baghdad to Berlin to Beijing and Boston, the world said farewell to 2007 and cheered the arrival of 2008. The famous Times Square ball descended for the 100th time, and a million revelers gathered to watch. New technology meant the crystal-studded sphere was twice as bright this year.

'08's Ball Brightest in 100 Years
'08's Ball Brightest in 100 Years
Dec 31, 2007 2:41 PM CST

'08's Ball Brightest in 100 Years

Times Square orb hits centennial

(Newser) - The ball you watch drop in Times Square at midnight will be twice as bright as any of its predecessors, the New York Times reports, to celebrate its 100th anniversary. The first ball rang in 1908 with 216 light bulbs stuck to its 5-foot iron frame. Tonight, 1,200 pounds...

Terror Threat Douses Brussels Fireworks

Officials say large crowds still a risk

(Newser) - Brussels has canceled or cut short many of its traditional New Year's Eve events, saying the terror threat level is still too high to permit large gatherings. Last week, Belgian police arrested—and released on lack of evidence—14 people accused of plotting to break a convicted terrorist out of...

Masses Wish Upon NYC Confetti
Masses Wish Upon NYC Confetti
Dec 30, 2007 1:52 PM CST

Masses Wish Upon NYC Confetti

Times Square is collecting messages to drop on New Year's Eve revelers

(Newser) - Your wishes for world peace, greater height, smarter bosses, and healthy children will float down on Times Square tomorrow night among more than a ton of confetti, reports the AP. For the first time, Times Square is collecting messages to be printed and mixed in with the 1 ton-plus of...

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