World hopes to dispel doom, gloom

World hopes to dispel doom, gloom

Agencies, New York/Banda Aceh, Indonesia

Millions rang in the New Year in party mood determined to cast off the woes of the last 12 months, but bomb attacks in Iraq and Aceh, Indonesia were potent reminders of the terror fears which could stalk 2004.

From Sydney and Auckland in the far corner of the southern hemisphere, a riot of fireworks, music and dancing rippled across the world's time zones to usher in the New Year.

But a heavy police presence in virtually all major capitals highlighted the ever-present fear of further attacks by al-Qaeda linked Islamic militant groups which have claimed thousands of lives since the start of the new millennium.

Upto eight people were killed when a powerful New Year's Eve bomb ripped through a restaurant packed with revelers in Baghdad's upmarket Karrada district, highlighting the daily difficulties facing the U.S.-led forces occupying Iraq.

In Indonesia's restive Aceh province, 10 people were killed and 45 injured when a bomb blew up during a concert at a crowded market on Wednesday night. Aceh has been battered by 27 years of fighting between separatist guerrillas and government forces. The military blamed the bombing, in the town of Pereulak, on the rebels, who denied the allegation.

Festivities also took a deadly turn in the Philippines' city of Lucena when fireworks sparked a fire in an old public market and killed 18 people.

Celebrations were happier in Australia, where Sydney's famous harbor was alight with colorful fireworks, and in New Zealand, where thousands crammed into a public square, dancing and waving glow sticks. Still, a tactical response team scoured the streets of Sydney on the lookout for everything from drunken revelers to possible security threat.

Pope John Paul II rang in the New Year on Thursday with a renewed call for peace in the Middle East and Africa and the creation of a new world order based on respect for the dignity of man and equality among nations.

The pontiff presided over a morning Mass inside St. Peter's Basilica to mark the World Day of Peace, which the Roman Catholic Church celebrates every Jan. 1.

Crowds of Taiwanese gathered at sunrise on Thursday in front of the Presidential Office building for the annual raising of the flag, though this year the ceremony was overshadowed by the upcoming presidential elections.

North Korea issued a New Year's message reconfirming its willingness to peacefully resolve a standoff over its nuclear weapons program, a state-run news agency reported.

In many parts of the world, fears of terrorism marked New Year's celebrations.

In many parts of the world, fears of terrorism marked New Year's celebrations.

New Year celebrations in the United States took place amid an unprecedented, coast-to-coast security operation, but despite the lingering security fears U.S. President George W. Bush hailed the successes of 2003.

In a New Year's Day message, Bush described the past year as "a time of accomplishment and progress."

"Working together, our citizens have made America a safer, more prosperous, and better country," he said. "In the New Year, we will build on these successes, embracing the challenges and opportunities ahead."

He spoke as an estimated 750,000 people sang and cheered in 2004 in New York's Times Square, shrugging off the nationwide terror alert, which saw police snipers and bomb squads keeping a close eye on the celebrations.

"We've never had a crowd this size before," said New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

In Britain, with 3,000 extra police on nationwide alert against attacks, 100,000 revelers flocked into central London to hear Big Ben ring in 2004.

Crowds also converged around the London Eye, the landmark giant wheel by the River Thames, where a three-minute fireworks display lit up the sky. But bad weather forced the cancellation of the traditional massive street party in the Scottish city of Edinburgh.

In his New Year's address, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, called for perseverance in Iraq in the hope that it would become a beacon for democracy in the Middle East.

French President Jacques Chirac also made the economy a priority in his New Year address setting the fight against high unemployment as a key priority for the government in 2004.

Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has also urged Germans to pull together to help the country emerge from its economic doldrums.

And one million people swarmed into the center of Berlin enduring freezing temperatures to see in the New Year around its main landmark, the Brandenburg Gate.

But Asian astrologists predicted that after the tumultuous events of 2003, the world this year will free itself of major wars and the global economy will accelerate.