Firecrackers and gunfire injured nearly 500 people in the Philippines as revellers welcomed the New Year in one of the world’s most dangerous celebrations.

About a dozen flights were diverted or cancelled early yesterday after dark smog caused by a night of firecracker explosions and fires, obscured visibility at Manila’s airport.

Some 454 injuries occurred due to firecracker blasts and 18 from stray bullets. Injured revellers, including children, filled hospital emergency rooms in the capital shortly after midnight. Many Filipinos believe that noisy New Year’s celebrations drive away evil and misfortune. But they have carried that superstition to extremes, exploding huge firecrackers and firing guns to welcome the New Year.

Icy plunge to usher in 2012

As Parisians enjoyed the warmest New Year’s Eve since 1883, thousands of other revellers in northern France, Italy and the Netherlands plunged into icy waters for a fresh start to 2012 yesterday.

A record 36,000 swimmers took part in the traditional New Year’s Dip in the Netherlands while some 400 swimmers dived into the North Sea at Dunkirk, in northern France, in a carnival-like atmosphere with many sporting zany costumes and blowing vuvuzelas.

In Rome, six plucky men dived into the gelid waters of the Tiber river, observing a decades-old New Year’s Day tradition as around 400 spectators cheered them on.

Bond cars to go on show

Some of the famous cars featured in James Bond films will be on display for nearly all of 2012.

Such vehicles as the Aston Martin DB5 from Goldfinger will be on show at the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu in Hampshire, UK. On public display from January 18 until the end of the year, the cars also include the Lotus Esprit S1 from The Spy Who Loved Me. The exhibition will also show off various other devices used in the 007 movies, including a Bede Acrostar mini jet flown in the 007 film Octopussy.

The exhibition marks two anniversaries – 50 years of Bond films and 40 years of the Beaulieu museum.

Soothing sounds for giraffes

Keepers at a Dutch zoo have found an unorthodox solution to calm down skittish giraffes spooked by the sound of thousands of end-of-year fireworks going off: playing them pop music.

Amersfoort Animal Park spokesman Josien van Eijk said, “We found that pop music works best to calm the animals down and the bangs become more background noise”.

Ms Van Eijk said giraffes at the zoo were the only ones of the park’s around 130 animals badly affected.