NewsProtests and pyrotechnics: A New Year's Eve of global unrest
Protests and pyrotechnics: A New Year's Eve of global unrest
It happened while you were sleeping. Here's what international agencies reported overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday.
- A table stretching for several hundred metres was placed on the main artery of Tbilisi - Rustaveli Avenue, bringing together thousands of people who gathered on New Year's Eve to demonstrate their opposition to the ruling party, Georgian Dream's policies. Tuesday marked the 33rd day of the ongoing protest, triggered by the government's decision to suspend negotiations for Georgia's entry into the EU until 2028.
- Approximately 100,000 people welcomed the New Year in Prague. Paramedics attended to several individuals who suffered minor injuries caused by exploding firecrackers and fireworks. Their use is prohibited in the historic centre of the Czech capital, and the police have initiated several investigations.
- On Tuesday, Panama celebrated the 25th anniversary of the handover of the Panama Canal by the United States. During the ceremony, a minute of silence was observed in memory of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who passed away on Wednesday. In 1977, he signed the canal agreement with then-Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos.
- A few minutes after midnight, Slovaks heard a new version of the national anthem ordered by the Minister of Culture, Martina Šimkovičová. The composition features several significant changes in instrumentation, vocal arrangement, and, most notably, tempo. The Ministry of Culture assures that there is no obligation to perform the new version of the anthem during official events. This new version was created thirty years after the involvement of one of Slovakia's most renowned directors and composers, Oskar Rózsa.
- A tragic New Year's Eve in Germany saw three people lose their lives, and many were injured due to careless handling of fireworks. The Berlin police intervened over 300 times, and riots broke out in the city centre, including Alexanderplatz. Thirteen officers were injured. German media emphasized that the situation was exceptionally tense and dangerous.
