Asia 2006

2006 was an eventful year in Asia. Here's a quick look at the year that was.



2006 Obituary

The world bade goodbye to a few prominent figures in 2006



Conflicts in 2006

How conflicted was the world in 2006?



Officially strange and strangely official: tales of 2006

Bizarre legal cases, administrative quirks and embarrassed officials from around the world this past year



Golf in space, wine cellars in the sky: zany records of 2006

2006 brought the usual crop of people seeking to do something, however strange, better, faster, longer or more completely than anyone else.



2006 a bullish year for Bollywood

As Bollywood wraps up yet another hugely successful year claims have been made that Indian cinema has crossed the "final frontier" with its entry into mainstream Western markets



2006 a thriller of a year for Hollywood residents

The public meltdown, among other things, was a popular pursuit among the famous this year



The year that pop rocked

The Internet helped break a new generation of pop stars, dead rock icons like Kurt Cobain continued to rake in big bucks while old bands tried to recapture lost glories by reforming



2006 not a particularly eventful TV year

There were a few highs - it seems there could have been more if people had just tried a little harder - and some rather dismal lows, but in the end, there was nothing particularly groundbreaking



What's in the New Year?

January 1st officially became the first day of the year only in 46 BC



Postcards, Poems and Lobsters

It was in 1873 that Japan followed the Gregorian calendar, making January 1st the start of a New Year - the Japanese observe many traditions that make this festival significant.



Ruled by the Sun, Moon and Stars

In many parts of Asia, the new year is determined not by the stroke of midnight on January 1st but by astrological signs.



The First Footer

According to Scottish tradition, the first person to set foot into a home on New Year's Day will decide the family's luck for the rest of the year.



The Rose and Apple

The most popular celebration to usher in the New Year happens in the USA at New York’s Times Square, where a large, glittering ball made of crystals is lowered.




A dazzle of fireworks

In many countries fireworks are an important signal to the start of the new year. The fireworks display in Sydney, Australia over the iconic Harbour Bridge gets more impressive every year.



Auld Lang Syne

Where does the tradition of singing Auld Lang Syne at New Year's originate?



The year in retrospect for Prime Time Morning

With personalities like Pele and Francis Yip crossing the PTM threshold, the producers have many stories to share