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NEW YEAR'S EVE

New Year's celebrations toned down as COVID cases hit record highs nationwide

Sparse crowds were at the Vatican Saturday morning as Pope Francis conducted New Year’s Day Mass. On Friday, the Pope canceled his traditional New Year’s Eve visit to the nativity scene in St. Peter’s Square to discourage large crowds from forming. In Times Square, just 15,000 revelers rang in 2022. The muted celebrations come as COVID cases in New York City have skyrocketed in recent weeks. Elise Preston reports.

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Homebound viewers boost New Year's Eve ratings; a CNN high

NBC was the highest-rated broadcast network last week, averaging 4.6 million viewers in prime time. Fox News Channel had 1.7 million viewers, CNN had 1.6 million, Hallmark had 1.42 million, MSNBC had 1.4 million, HGTV had 1.3 million and TNT had 1.2 million. ABC’s “World News Tonight” won the evening news ratings race, averaging 9.75 million viewers. College Football Bowl Studio, ESPN, 16.1 million. College Football Playoffs Semifinal, ESPN, 13.4 millionCollege Football Bowl Studio, ESPN, 13.5 million.

UK in 'eye of the storm' amid surging new coronavirus cases

A quiet Wardour Street in London, as the New Year's Eve fireworks display has been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020. (Jonathan Brady/PA via AP)LONDON – British hospitals around the country face a perilous situation in January, medical workers warned Friday amid surging coronavirus infections blamed on a new virus variant. “In the short term, the additional increase of vaccine efficacy from the second dose is likely to be modest. The U.K.'s main union for doctors warned that delaying the second dose causes huge scheduling problems for thousands of partially vaccinated elderly and vulnerable people. ___Follow AP coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccines and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

2021 arrives around the world

(AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)CANBERRA – This New Year’s Eve is being celebrated like no other in most of the world, with many bidding farewell to a year they’d prefer to forget. Some countries and cities canceled or scaled back their festivities, while others without active outbreaks carried on like any other year. Instead, we should bring in 2021 in our own homes with just our own households," Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said. Many around the world looked toward 2021 with hope, partly due to the arrival of vaccines that offer a chance of beating the pandemic. Initial reports about a mystery respiratory illness sickening people in the Chinese city of Wuhan emerged exactly a year ago.

Asia Today: Bangkok shuts schools, entertainment venues

BEIJING – Thailand's capital is shutting down venues including schools and entertainment areas as coronavirus cases continue to spread. Seven provinces including Bangkok have been designated red zones where places including entertainment venues, boxing rings, gyms and flea markets are ordered closed. Bangkok reported 180 cases in the last 24 hours. The requirements by the Shenyang and Dalian airports come amid a small but persistent growth in cases in the two cities located in Liaoning province just north of the capital Beijing. China on Friday reported a total of 19 new virus cases, including 10 that were brought from outside the country.

South Africans swap firecrackers for candles amid pandemic

Many South Africans will swap firecrackers for candles to mark New Year's Eve amid COVID-19 restrictions including a nighttime curfew responding to President Cyril Ramaphosa's call to light a candle to honor those who have died in the COVID-19 pandemic and the health workers who are on the frontline of battling the disease. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)JOHANNESBURG – Many South Africans swapped firecrackers for candles to mark New Year’s Eve amid COVID-19 restrictions including a nighttime curfew. Urging all South Africans to battle the virus, Ramaphosa called on the nation to celebrate New Year’s Eve in a different way. Instead, the mayor of South Africa's largest city will light a candle on the landmark Nelson Mandela Bridge. At midnight he will light a candle with his family and pray for everybody who has suffered from the pandemic.

Bomb-sniffing dogs? Check. Times Square crowd? Not this year

A man wears a protective mask during the coronavirus pandemic in Times Square Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020, in New York. Small groups of revelers, some wearing glittery hats, filmed their distant view of Times Square on their phones and broke out in cheers at midnight. Preparing for the worst, the New York Police Department deployed its bomb-sniffing dogs and sand-filled sanitation trucks intended to guard against explosions. “It’s dead,” said Ali Jameel early Thursday, who owns a store a block from Times Square. “Coming to Times Square is a family tradition for some.

Britain ends long Brexit journey with economic break from EU

A different U.K.-EU trade deal will bring new restrictions and red tape, but for British Brexit supporters, it means reclaiming national independence from the EU and its web of rules. Hundreds of millions of individuals in Britain and the bloc also face changes to their daily lives. Britons and EU citizens have lost the automatic right to live and work in the other’s territory. For some in Britain, including the prime minister, it’s a moment of pride and a chance for the U.K. to set new diplomatic and economic priorities. In Scotland, which voted strongly in 2016 to remain, Brexit has bolstered support for separation from the U.K.

The Latest: Tens of thousands on Vegas strip despite warning

(AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)LAS VEGAS — Tens of thousands of people were walking on the casino-lined Las Vegas Strip on New Year’s Eve by early evening despite a plea from Nevada Gov. China on Friday reported a total of 19 new virus cases, including 10 that were brought from outside the country. ___LONDON — The coronavirus pandemic canceled London’s annual New Years’ Eve fireworks display, which usually draws tens of thousands of spectators. The nation’s most populated county has about 40% of California’s virus deaths. ___NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee ends the year ranked first in coronavirus cases per capita.

After a year like this, expect a strange New Year’s Eve

FILE - In this Jan. 1, 2020, file photo, confetti falls at midnight on the Times Square New Year's Eve celebration in New York. If ever a year's end seemed like cause for celebration, 2020 might be it. (Photo by Ben Hider/Invision/AP, File)NEW YORK – If ever a year's end seemed like cause for celebration, 2020 might be it. From New York's Times Square to Sydney Harbor, big public blowouts are being turned into TV-only shows and digital events. The occasion stirs mixed feelings for people like Cesar Soltero, who was taking photos, and taking stock, in Times Square this week.

Texas Bowl canceled because of coronavirus concerns

HOUSTON – The Mercari Texas Bowl has been canceled because of concerns over the coronavirus. The New Year’s Eve matchup between the Arkansas Razorbacks and the TCU Horned Frogs was set to be played at NRG Stadium. According to PigTrail Nation, Head Coach Sam Pittman said the Razorbacks had no positive COVID-19 tests on his team. “While we are disappointed in canceling this year’s game, we look forward to hosting both the Texas Kickoff and Texas Bowl next season,” David Fletcher, executive director of the Texas Bowl, said in a statement issued on Twitter. Those refunds will be processed through the vendor through which the tickets were purchased.

Billy Porter to join New Year's Eve show from Times Square

Last New Year's Eve, Billy Porter was working in New Orleans. This year he'll still be working — but in New York City. The “Pose” star will join Ryan Seacrest and Lucy Hale on ABC in Times Square on Dec. 31 for Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2020.” The broadcast is closed to the public due to the pandemic. “2020 has been a trying year for the world and I’m thrilled to have Billy and Lucy join me in ushering in a new year with fresh beginnings,” said Seacrest in a statement. As with last year, Ciara will once again oversee the Los Angeles festivities.