World hopes to dispel doom, gloom<\/p>\n
Agencies, New York\/Banda Aceh, Indonesia<\/p>\n
Millions rang in the New Year in party mood determined to cast
\noff the woes of the last 12 months, but bomb attacks in Iraq and
\nAceh, Indonesia were potent reminders of the terror fears which
\ncould stalk 2004.<\/p>\n
From Sydney and Auckland in the far corner of the southern
\nhemisphere, a riot of fireworks, music and dancing rippled across
\nthe world's time zones to usher in the New Year.<\/p>\n
But a heavy police presence in virtually all major capitals
\nhighlighted the ever-present fear of further attacks by al-Qaeda
\nlinked Islamic militant groups which have claimed thousands of
\nlives since the start of the new millennium.<\/p>\n
Upto eight people were killed when a powerful New Year's Eve
\nbomb ripped through a restaurant packed with revelers in
\nBaghdad's upmarket Karrada district, highlighting the daily
\ndifficulties facing the U.S.-led forces occupying Iraq.<\/p>\n
In Indonesia's restive Aceh province, 10 people were killed
\nand 45 injured when a bomb blew up during a concert at a crowded
\nmarket on Wednesday night. Aceh has been battered by 27 years of
\nfighting between separatist guerrillas and government forces. The
\nmilitary blamed the bombing, in the town of Pereulak, on the
\nrebels, who denied the allegation.<\/p>\n
Festivities also took a deadly turn in the Philippines' city
\nof Lucena when fireworks sparked a fire in an old public market
\nand killed 18 people.<\/p>\n
Celebrations were happier in Australia, where Sydney's famous
\nharbor was alight with colorful fireworks, and in New Zealand,
\nwhere thousands crammed into a public square, dancing and waving
\nglow sticks. Still, a tactical response team scoured the streets
\nof Sydney on the lookout for everything from drunken revelers to
\npossible security threat.<\/p>\n
Pope John Paul II rang in the New Year on Thursday with a
\nrenewed call for peace in the Middle East and Africa and the
\ncreation of a new world order based on respect for the dignity of
\nman and equality among nations.<\/p>\n
The pontiff presided over a morning Mass inside St. Peter's
\nBasilica to mark the World Day of Peace, which the Roman Catholic
\nChurch celebrates every Jan. 1.<\/p>\n
Crowds of Taiwanese gathered at sunrise on Thursday in front
\nof the Presidential Office building for the annual raising of the
\nflag, though this year the ceremony was overshadowed by the
\nupcoming presidential elections.<\/p>\n
North Korea issued a New Year's message reconfirming its
\nwillingness to peacefully resolve a standoff over its nuclear
\nweapons program, a state-run news agency reported.<\/p>\n
In many parts of the world, fears of terrorism marked New
\nYear's celebrations.<\/p>\n
In many parts of the world, fears of terrorism marked New
\nYear's celebrations.<\/p>\n
New Year celebrations in the United States took place amid an
\nunprecedented, coast-to-coast security operation, but despite the
\nlingering security fears U.S. President George W. Bush hailed the
\nsuccesses of 2003.<\/p>\n
In a New Year's Day message, Bush described the past year as
\n"a time of accomplishment and progress."<\/p>\n
"Working together, our citizens have made America a safer,
\nmore prosperous, and better country," he said. "In the New Year,
\nwe will build on these successes, embracing the challenges and
\nopportunities ahead."<\/p>\n
He spoke as an estimated 750,000 people sang and cheered in
\n2004 in New York's Times Square, shrugging off the nationwide
\nterror alert, which saw police snipers and bomb squads keeping a
\nclose eye on the celebrations.<\/p>\n
"We've never had a crowd this size before," said New York
\nMayor Michael Bloomberg.<\/p>\n
In Britain, with 3,000 extra police on nationwide alert
\nagainst attacks, 100,000 revelers flocked into central London to
\nhear Big Ben ring in 2004.<\/p>\n
Crowds also converged around the London Eye, the landmark
\ngiant wheel by the River Thames, where a three-minute fireworks
\ndisplay lit up the sky. But bad weather forced the cancellation
\nof the traditional massive street party in the Scottish city of
\nEdinburgh.<\/p>\n
In his New Year's address, British Prime Minister Tony Blair,
\ncalled for perseverance in Iraq in the hope that it would become
\na beacon for democracy in the Middle East.<\/p>\n
French President Jacques Chirac also made the economy a
\npriority in his New Year address setting the fight against high
\nunemployment as a key priority for the government in 2004.<\/p>\n
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has also urged Germans to pull
\ntogether to help the country emerge from its economic doldrums.<\/p>\n
And one million people swarmed into the center of Berlin
\nenduring freezing temperatures to see in the New Year around its
\nmain landmark, the Brandenburg Gate.<\/p>\n
But Asian astrologists predicted that after the tumultuous
\nevents of 2003, the world this year will free itself of major
\nwars and the global economy will accelerate.<\/p>",
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