Fireworks light up the London skyline and Big Ben just after midnight on January 1, 2010 in London

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 01: Fireworks light up the London skyline and Big Ben just after midnight on January 1, 2010 in London, England. Thousands of people lined the banks of the river Thames to see in the New Year with a spectacular fireworks display

Fireworks light up the London skyline and Big Ben, click here..



LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 01: Fireworks light up the London skyline and Big Ben just after midnight on January 1, 2010 in London, England. Thousands of people lined the banks of the river Thames to see in the New Year with a spectacular fireworks display


LONDON - JANUARY 01: Fireworks light up the London Eye observation wheel just after midnight on January 1, 2010 in England. Thousands of people lined the banks of The River Thames to see in the New Year with a spectacular fireworks display.



Fireworks explode beside the London Eye and The Houses of Parliament on the River Thames during New Year celebrations in London January 1, 2010.


Fireworks explode beside the London Eye and The Houses of Parliament on the River Thames during New Year celebrations in London January 1, 2010.



LONDON - JANUARY 01: Fireworks light up the London Eye observation wheel just after midnight on January 1, 2010 in England. Thousands of people lined the banks of The River Thames to see in the New Year with a spectacular fireworks display.


Fireworks explode in front of the London Eye on the River Thames during New Year celebrations in London January 1, 2010.



photo: Reuters

New Year's Eve celebrations in New York's Times Square, December 31, 2009.

Revelers take part in New Year celebrations in New York's Times Square January 1, 2010.


Video: New Years Times Square Ball Drop 2010, click here...




A child takes a photograph while on someone's shoulders during New Year celebrations in New York's Times Square January 1, 2010.


Revelers take part in New Year celebrations in New York's Times Square January 1, 2010.


Revelers kiss as they celebrate during New Year celebrations in New York's Times Square January 1, 2010.



Revelers take part in New Year celebrations in New York's Times Square January 1, 2010.





NEW YORK - DECEMBER 31: Musician Chris Daughtry performs during Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2010 in Times Square on December 31, 2009 in New York City.



NEW YORK - DECEMBER 31: A general view of atmosphere in Times Square during Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2010 on December 31, 2009 in New York City


NEW YORK - DECEMBER 31: A general view of atmosphere in Times Square during Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2010 on December 31, 2009 in New York City.


NEW YORK - DECEMBER 31: Host Ryan Seacrest (L) and singer Jennifer Lopez pose onstage during Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2010 in Times Square on December 31, 2009 in New York City.



NEW YORK - DECEMBER 31: Musician Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minnillo, co-hosts of the NIVEA Kiss Platform, pose in Times Square on New Year's Eve where they rang in 2010 as a year of 'Love, Hugs and Kisses' on December 31, 2009 in New York City.



NEW YORK - DECEMBER 31: Musician Chris Daughtry performs during Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2010 in Times Square on December 31, 2009 in New York City

Revelers celebrate during New Year's Eve celebrations in New York's Times Square December 31, 2009.



NEW YORK - DECEMBER 31: General view of the crowd on New Year's Eve as they get festive with NIVEA accessories and products at Times Square on December 31, 2009 in New York City.


A reveller gestures during New Year's Eve celebrations in New York's Times Square December 31, 2009.



A reveler takes a photo during New Year's Eve celebrations in New York's Times Square, December 31, 2009.



A woman wears a pair of 2010 glasses during New Year's Eve celebrations in New York's Times Square, December 31, 2009.


A New York City police officer uses a metal detector to screen a reveler as he arrives for New Year's Eve celebrations in New York's Times Square, December 31, 2009.


photo: Reuters

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Celebrate the New Year January 1, 2010., Sydney

Fireworks explode over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House during a pyrotechnic show to celebrate the New Year January 1, 2010.


Video: Celebrate the New Year January 1, 2010., Sydney, click here..


Fireworks explode over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House during a pyrotechnic show to celebrate the New Year January 1, 2010



SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 31: The annual New Year's Eve fireworks display illuminates the sky over Sydney Harbour on December 31, 2009 in Sydney, Australia. The 2009 into 2010 theme is 'Awaken The Spirit' with over 1.5 million people expected to gather around the harbour to watch the 12 minute show.



Fireworks explode over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House during a pyrotechnic show to celebrate the New Year January 1, 2010.



SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 31: The annual New Year's Eve fireworks display illuminates the sky over Sydney Harbour on December 31, 2009 in Sydney, Australia. The 2009 into 2010 theme is 'Awaken The Spirit' with over 1.5 million people expected to gather around the harbour to watch the 12 minute show.



SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 31: The annual New Year's Eve fireworks display illuminates the sky over Sydney Harbour on December 31, 2009 in Sydney, Australia. The 2009 into 2010 theme is 'Awaken The Spirit' with over 1.5 million people expected to gather around the harbour to watch the 12 minute show.



Fireworks explode over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House during a pyrotechnic show to celebrate the New Year January 1, 2010.



SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 31: The annual New Year's Eve fireworks display illuminates the sky over Sydney Harbour on December 31, 2009 in Sydney, Australia. The 2009 into 2010 theme is 'Awaken The Spirit' with over 1.5 million people expected to gather around the harbour to watch the 12 minute show.



SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 31: The annual New Year's Eve fireworks display illuminates the sky over Sydney Harbour on December 31, 2009 in Sydney, Australia. The 2009 into 2010 theme is 'Awaken The Spirit' with over 1.5 million people expected to gather around the harbour to watch the 12 minute show.


Fireworks explode over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House during a pyrotechnic show to celebrate the New Year January 1, 2010.


SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 31: People take photos as the annual New Year's Eve fireworks display illuminates the sky over Sydney Harbour on December 31, 2009 in Sydney, Australia. The 2009 into 2010 theme is 'Awaken The Spirit' with over 1.5 million people expected to gather around the harbour to watch the 12 minute show


Fireworks flash over Sydney Harbor during New Year celebrations, Friday, Jan. 1, 2010. The annual fireworks extravaganza over the city's landmark harbor bridge and opera house are the centerpiece of Australia's celebrations, and generate some of the most striking images from a night of revelry across the globe.


photo: Reuters

Happy 2010! Sydney kicks off the New Year as celebrations are launched around the world

By Mail Foreign Service

Let's get it started: Fireworks explode at midnight above Sydney harbour and the Sydney Harbour Bridge to celebrate New Year's Eve in Australia today


Under explosive bursts of crimson, purple and blue, more than one million New Year revellers in Sydney got one of the world's biggest parties started Thursday - bidding farewell to the tough year that was 2009 and welcoming a new decade.

As the family-friendly, pre-midnight fireworks show illuminated Australia's largest city, preparations were under way across the world for pyrotechnics, parties and prayers in the final countdown to herald the end of the period dubbed 'the Noughties'.

The mood of celebrations was tempered in some places by the effects of the financial downturn, which bit hard in 2009, sending economies into recession, causing millions to lose their jobs and home foreclosures to rise dramatically in some countries.


Harmony in the New Year: The ying and yang symbol is displayed on the Sydney Harbour Bridge after the midnight fireworks display
There were also reminders of threats and the fight against terrorism that during the decade led to wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and rising militant violence in Pakistan.
The U.S. Embassy in Indonesia warned of a possible terrorist attack on the resort island of Bali on New Year's Eve, citing information from the island's governor - although local security officials said Thursday they were unaware of a threat. The e-mail warning to U.S. citizens said predominantly Muslim Indonesia's counter-terrorism efforts have been partly successful in recent years, but violent extremists continue to pose a deadly threat.
In Sydney, crowds - organizers expected more than 1.5 million people - thronged to harbourside parks and public places for the annual fireworks extravaganza over the landmark harbour bridge and opera house. The twin shows, one at 9 p.m. and a bigger one at midnight, are the centrepiece of Australia's celebrations that generates some of the most striking images from a night of revelry across the globe.


Harmony in the New Year: The ying and yang symbol is displayed on the Sydney Harbour Bridge after the midnight fireworks display


There were also reminders of threats and the fight against terrorism that during the decade led to wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and rising militant violence in Pakistan.

The U.S. Embassy in Indonesia warned of a possible terrorist attack on the resort island of Bali on New Year's Eve, citing information from the island's governor - although local security officials said Thursday they were unaware of a threat. The e-mail warning to U.S. citizens said predominantly Muslim Indonesia's counter-terrorism efforts have been partly successful in recent years, but violent extremists continue to pose a deadly threat.

In Sydney, crowds - organizers expected more than 1.5 million people - thronged to harbourside parks and public places for the annual fireworks extravaganza over the landmark harbour bridge and opera house. The twin shows, one at 9 p.m. and a bigger one at midnight, are the centrepiece of Australia's celebrations that generates some of the most striking images from a night of revelry across the globe.


New decade: Sydney's fireworks are just the start of New Year's celebrations across the globe



source: dailymail

As six die in snow, is this family the daftest in Britain?

By Paul Sims

'Crazy': The family climbing Snowdon yesterday


As the snow fell and the temperature around them dipped below freezing they ignored the repeated warnings and began climbing.

Trudging through several inches of snow, the couple struggled on as the blizzard-like conditions hit Snowdonia, North Wales, with a vengeance.

But what made their attempt even more unthinkable was the fact that they chose to take their young daughter with them.

She cannot have been any more than two years old. Yet she sat in a harness on her father's back with only a plastic cover protecting her face from the arctic conditions that surrounded them.

One walker said: 'I couldn't believe they had even contemplate going out in those conditions. It was like a blizzard up there with 30-35mph winds and poor visibility.

'The chances of falling over and crushing the child or falling down a ledge is ten times more likely in these conditions. It was nothing short of crazy.'

The couple left their car at Pen-y-pass, then started to walk up the snow-covered miners' track, which leads towards the 3,560ft summit of Snowdon.


Showing grit: Clearing a road near the M62 in Yorkshire yesterday


Elfyn Jones, chairman of Llanberis mountain rescue team, said: 'I hope they're not heading towards the summit or going high up the mountain, because there are gale force winds and temperatures down to minus 4 or 5.'

Last week police and rescuers launched a special campaign to persuade climbers and walkers to take proper precautions.

The couple returned to their car a little over two hours later, having walked approximately a mile up the mountain.

The climb occurred on a day of tragedy as the weather wreaked havoc across the country and left a total of six people dead.

Three men were killed in a car crash on the M62 in West Yorkshire and two climbers, one from Wiltshire and one from Wales, died in an avalanche on Ben Nevis.

The avalanche was the first of three to hit the Scottish Highlands.

The second in Torridon, Wester Ross, claimed the life of a 53-year-old climber from Derbyshire. He had been found alive but died later from internal injuries in hospital.

Two other walkers were rescued from the third avalanche in Argyll.

As temperatures plummeted to as low as 3f (–16c) walkers had been warned about the dangers caused by the recent snowfalls.

The men killed in the car crash in West Yorkshire were aged 31, 24, and 27.

They are believed to be from the Preston area and were in a Mitsubishi saloon car when it left the westbound carriageway of the snow-hit M62 near Huddersfield and collided with the nearside barrier on Tuesday evening.

In Cumbria, the treacherous weather led to a seven car pile-up on the A66, closing a stretch of the road and leaving up to 50 other cars stranded Dorothy Watson, 59, was among those stranded in her car on the A66 last night.

She said: 'We've been here for a couple of hours now. It's been snowy, but the problem today was the wind. The wind was really strong and it was blowing the snow off the hillsides.'


Sheep are covered in snow in the Hope Valley near Buxton, Derbyshire


Heavy snowfall on the A672 between Halifax, West Yorkshire and Oldham caused cars to be abandoned and roads closed


source: dailymail

It's back home to Mother: Year of recession forces half a million adults aged 35 to 44 to return to live with parents

By Becky Barrow

Nearly 500,000 adults aged 35 to 44 moved back into their parents' home in the past year, research reveals today.


Devastated by the recession and rising rates of relationship breakdown, many had no option but to return to mother.

The trend has led to them being dubbed the 'boomerang generation'.

In total there are nearly two million men and women living in Britain who have been forced to go back home.

The majority - around one million - are aged between 18 and 24, and have either returned home in the last 12 months, or have delayed plans to move out.

Many will be university graduates who have traditionally moved back in with their parents before setting up their own home.

But it is not just the young who are staying with their parents for longer than they had hoped, the research by Abbey shows.

The bank says there are around 440,000 between the ages of 25 to 34 and a further 471,000 between the ages of 35 to 44 who have been forced to return home.

The research raises fears about the impact of the 'boomerangers' on their parents' finances.

On average, parents have about £11,900 in cash savings, but the money is rapidly disappearing since their children moved back in.

Over the past year, they have typically withdrawn about a fifth of their savings, around £2,100, which they blame on the rising cost of living and 'unexpected' expenses - such as their children returning home.

An Abbey spokesman said: 'The return of grown-up children to the family home can be a shock for parents who have no doubt become used to the quiet life.

'While many parents can live with more noise and a bigger laundry pile, many may be unprepared for the financial impact of their return home.'

The spokesman added that many parents wrongly assume the huge expense of having children only lasts for the first two decades of their lives.

Many grown-up children would love to escape their parents' home to buy their own, but simply cannot afford to do so.

The average price of a home in England and Wales is £161,554, and the cost is rising - up 0.9 per cent last month, according to figures published yesterday by the Land Registry.


Rising house prices are partly to blame for the amount of middle-aged people moving home


Despite the property crash during the recession, homes in many parts of the country are still cripplingly expensive.

The number of properties bought for more than £1million has shot up by 35 per cent over the past year to 512 in September alone.

Matt Hutchinson, director of the flat and house-share website Spareroom.co.uk, said the over-35s are his fastest growing group of customers - particularly as lenders are providing far fewer mortgages.

'This trend is likely to continue until house prices become more affordable or mortgage lenders relax their lending criteria,' he added.

'These days, landlords are just as likely to have a house full of over 30-something flat sharers as they are a group of university students. The UK is moving towards a nation of renters.'

Debt experts also warn the number of Britons expected to be plunged into insolvency will hit an all-time record of 150,000 next year, a 15 per cent rise on this year.

The majority will be men aged between 26 to 45, and many will be left with no option but to move back to their parents' home, according to the research from the accountants RSM Tenon.

Mark Sands, head of bankruptcy at the firm, said it is not necessarily losing their job which tips them over the edge, but losing overtime pay or their bonus.

He said: 'If you've got £50,000 of debt on your credit card and you've lost one of your shifts then you are going to hit the end of the line.'

The number of insolvency casualties will pick up next year, as there is usually a time lag between the start of a recession and people losing the battle with their finances.

The Government recently published a 16-page guide called the Parent Motivators, which is aimed at helping parents cope with twenty-somethings living at home.

The guide, which critics say is another example of the nanny state interfering in adults' lives, includes tips about how to get rid of children who parents would prefer to have moved out.

It claims being 'too supportive' is a mistake, adding: 'Sometimes, it really is necessary to show tough love. If you are making life too comfortable at home, why would they get a job?

'If you are providing free board and lodgings, a well-stocked fridge, washing and ironing done, plus an allowance, there's not much drive there. So cut back to help increase their motivation.'





source: dailymail