The slopes of north korea. And a whale of a day ahead for football fans everywhere. It is wednesday, january 1. Early today starts right now. And good morning to you on this first day of 2014. Im richard lui. From massive firework displays to solemn ceremonies, people around the world ringing in this new year in a variety of ways that did not disappoint. Stephanie elam takes a look. Reporter midnight in new zealand brought fireworks over the sky tower. In sydney harbor, more than 1 Million People ushering in the new year with firework that is lit up the iconic opera house and bridge. It was temple bells in japan ringing the customary 108 times. A solemn, dignified tradition bringing in the new year. 2014 was welcomed with a bang by the chinese. From the great wall to shanghai. And if that wasnt spectacular enough, dubais new year celebration was one for the record books, literally. The worlds tallest Building Center stage for an attempt at the Worlds Largest display. And at the same ti
Good evening. Im erica hill. Brian is off tonight. We are just hours away from ringing in the new year. It is a tradition that dates back some 4,000 years, today it is a celebration synonymous with sparkling wine, confetti and fireworks. So far the 2014 displays have not disappointed. In sidney, more than a Million People lined the citys water front to see the show in person. A kaleidoscope lit up moscows red square, but it was dubai pulling out all the stops. Aiming to break a world record with lights displayed around 400 locations. The display required more than 100 computers and more than 5,000 hours of work. For our own celebration here in new york, we go straight to times square and nbcs stephanie gosk. Stephanie . Reporter hey, erica. Happy new years eve to you. Ill start with trivia tonight. There have only been two years that the ball didnt drop. 1942 and 43. Thats because the city was following a blackout rules. That isnt the issue this year. And the brls will drop again. Time
Good evening. Im Natalie Morales in for brian. For the shipping giants today it is the nightmare after christmas as u. P. S. And fedex have workers around the clock trying to get all the packages that didnt make it in time finally to their destinations amid growing frustration. Meantime, the day after christmas for many is about shopping for postholiday deals, perhaps making a return or exchange. This year retailers are desperate to make up for lackluster holiday sales. Gabe gutierrez is in atlanta. Good evening. Reporter good evening. Consider this the year that Online Shopping changed everything from returning presents here at the mall to deliveries on the road. The post holiday rush is far from over. Before dawn, the trucks were on the move. Fedex and u. P. S. Scrambling to deliver late packages that didnt make it in time for christmas. Some customers got tired of waiting and showed up at u. P. S. Centers. My son was crushed. You know, these were things he was expecting for christma