New York city to allow revellers to attend New Year's Eve celebrations
November 17, 2021, 6:03 am

New York city to allow revellers to attend New Year's Eve celebrations

USA-Nashville-New year's eve/Pixabay

The BBC reported, New York city's mayor has confirmed that revellers will be allowed to attend this year's New Year's Eve celebrations in New York's Times Square.

It mentioned that the event was closed to spectators last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

It said that people wanting to see the ball drop this year will have to show proof of full vaccination or a negative Covid test if exempt.

The ball drop signifies the start of the New Year with hundreds of thousands of people usually turning up to watch.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said: "We can finally get back together again. It's going to be amazing, it's going to be a joy for this city."

New year festival-Fireworks/Pixabay

He added that he had been working with the Department of Health and New York Police Department "to get this right".

Read more: US and China agree to ease travel and visa restrictions on each others’ journalists

People over the age of five will need to bring photo ID along with their proof of vaccination in order to gain access to Times Square.

Children under five-years-old will have to be accompanied by a vaccinated adult. Head of the Times Square Alliance, Tom Harris said, those who are unvaccinated will have to wear a mask.

People have been celebrating New Year's Eve in Times Square since 1904. But last year, celebrations were muted after the Centers for Disease Control urged people to avoid gatherings.

Only a few health workers were allowed into the square to watch and they were placed in socially distanced pods.

The US has recorded the highest number of Covid cases in the world, with 2.1 million recorded since the pandemic began. More than 765,000 people there have died, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Source: BBC

US and China agree to ease travel and visa restrictions on each others' journalists Israel carries out attack on south of Damascus with two missiles

BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”