As the year draws to a close, a remarkable initiative involving “superheroes” clad in unique costumes brings unexpected joy — not only to the sick children but also, perhaps even more deeply, to their parents.

Asian shares have retreated after U.S. stocks edged back from their record heights.

Franz Welser-Möst will retire as music director of the Cleveland Orchestra in June 2027, ending a 25-season tenure that will be the longest in the ensemble’s history.

Asian shares are mostly higher after Wall Street drifted to a mixed close.

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Asian stocks are lower, tracking a weak start to 2024 on Wall Street as Japan's markets reopened.

SeaWorld Orlando is set to ring in the New Year with its vibrant Three Kings Celebration, a special festival dedicated to Three Kings’ Day.

Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II has announced that she plans to abdicate after 52 years and hand over the throne to her son, Crown Prince Frederik.

The Austrian government says that it is giving the country’s world-famous Vienna Boys Choir 800,000 euros ($884,000) to help it out of severe financial difficulties.

Ten years ago, Ukrainians took to the streets to protest a decision by their Moscow-friendly president to move the country away from the European Union and toward Russia.

French President Emmanuel Macron has proposed a substantial boost in military spending through the end of this decade to face evolving threats.

Germany’s biggest police union has called for concerted action to prevent a repeat of the violence toward officers, firefighters and medical personnel seen in Berlin and other cities during the New Year’s celebrations.

Flower-covered floats, marching bands and equestrian units celebrated the New Year as the 134th Rose Parade slipped through a gap in California’s siege of drenching storms.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s New Year’s address to the nation usually is rather anodyne and backed with a soothing view of a snowy Kremlin.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping says his country is on the “right side of history" in a New Year's address that comes as questions swirl over his government's handling of COVID-19 and economic and political challenges.

Officials say at least one person has been killed and 14 others hospitalized as multiple blasts rocked Kyiv.

Disaster Recovery Centers across Florida that remain open to assist people impacted by recent hurricanes Ian and Nicole have posted holiday closures for Christmas and New Year’s, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Universal Orlando Resort invites guests to top off the awesomest celebration of the season with exciting Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s activities taking place across its eight spectacular hotels as part of the destination’s Holidays celebration – running now through January 1, 2023.

French President Emmanuel Macron says people spreading fake news online should be held accountable and possibly brought to justice.

Russian officials are sounding the alarm about a looming surge of coronavirus infections due to the highly contagious omicron variant.

The Serbian Orthodox Church says the Patriarch, Porfirije, has tested positive for COVID-19.

Reigning “Jeopardy!”.

On New Year’s Day, at around 6:02 p.m., Traci Kuehn’s big day came 10 weeks early, but not in a hospital, in Rescue 62 with the help of Flager County Fire Rescue Lieutenant Jon Moscowitz and firefighter and paramedic Jimmy Melady.

Flight cancellations surged again on the last day of 2021, with airlines blaming it on crew shortages related to the spike in COVID-19 infections.

More than a year after the vaccine was rolled out, new cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. have soared to their highest level on record at over 265,000 per day on average.

Joe Biden will spend his first Christmas as president at the White House with family and is giving up his New Year’s tradition of sun and St. Croix for the chill of Delaware this year.

As Christmas and New Year’s approaches, AAA is forecasting more than 5.9 million Floridians will travel for the year-end holidays.

Aliyev marked the Nowruz holiday by lighting a ceremonial fire outside Shusha, a culturally revered city that Azerbaijan took from Armenian forces in last autumn's war. Shusha, a center of Azeri culture for centuries, came under Armenian control in 1992 in fighting over the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region. (Vugar Amrullaev, Azerbaijani Presidential Press Office via AP)MOSCOW – Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev marked the Nowruz holiday Saturday by lighting a ceremonial fire outside Shusha, a culturally revered city that Azerbaijan took from Armenian forces in last autumn’s war. Shusha, a center of Azeri culture for centuries, came under Armenian control in 1992 in fighting over the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region. “Today we are celebrating Nowruz in our ancient city Shusha, the cultural capital of Azerbaijan.

(Stephane Mahe/Pool Photo via AP)BREST – French President Emmanuel Macron hoped on Tuesday that U.S. President-elect Joe Biden will show a greater military commitment to fight against Islamic extremists in several theaters of conflict and especially in the Middle East. Macron stressed that France has maintained its efforts to fight against the Islamic State group in the region. About 900 French troops are currently taking part in the U.S.-led international coalition. In his speech, Macron also suggested he is considering a partial troop pullout in Africa’s Sahel region, an “adjustment” he presented as a consequence of successes achieved by French forces last year and an expected greater involvement of other European countries. The deployment of about 5,100 troops in five West African countries represent France’s largest military operation abroad.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in speaks during an on-line New Year press conference with local and foreign journalists at the Presidential Blue House in Seoul, South Korea Monday, Jan. 18, 2021. (Jeon Heon-kyun/Pool Photo via AP)SEOUL – South Korea’s president on Monday urged the incoming Biden administration to build upon the achievements and learn from the failures of President Donald Trump’s diplomatic engagement with North Korea. Biden has accused Trump of chasing the spectacle of summits rather than meaningful curbs on the North’s nuclear capabilities. And while Moon acknowledged that Biden is likely to try a different approach than Trump, he stressed that Biden could still learn from Trump’s successes and failures in dealing with North Korea. “The start of the Biden administration provides a new opportunity to start over talks between North Korea and the United States and also between South and North Korea,” which have stalled amid the stalemate in nuclear negotiations, Moon said.

FILE - In this Dec. 30, 2020 file photo German Chancellor Angela Merkel poses for photographs after the television recording of her annual New Year's speech at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)BERLIN – German Chancellor Angela Merkel considers U.S. President Donald Trump's eviction from Twitter by the company “problematic,” her spokesman said Monday. Twitter permanently suspended Trump from the microblogging platform on Friday, citing a “risk of further incitement of violence” in the wake of the storming of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of the outgoing president. “Seen from this angle, the chancellor considers it problematic that the accounts of the U.S. president have now been permanently blocked.”Facebook on Thursday suspended Trump’s account through Jan. 20, the day of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, and possibly indefinitely. Merkel herself does not have a Twitter account, although Seibert does and many German government ministers do.

Thousands of people attend a music concert to celebrate New Year's in the Mbare suburb of Harare, Zimbabwe, early Friday, Jan 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)MUTARE – In response to rising COVID-19 numbers, Zimbabwe has reintroduced a night curfew, banned public gatherings, and indefinitely suspended the opening of schools. “We are being overwhelmed and overrun,” Information Minister Nick Mangwana warned, saying the country's hospitals are rapidly reaching capacity with COVID-19 patients. Zimbabwe recorded 1,342 cases and 29 deaths in the past week, “the highest number recorded so far,” Vice President Constantino Chiwenga said, announcing the strict measures. Funerals are now limited to 30 people while other gatherings such as weddings and church services are banned for 30 days.

Trace testing has linked the new Melbourne coronavirus cluster to the New South Wales outbreak. The newest occurred at midnight Friday when Victoria closed its border to New South Wales, prompting traffic bottlenecks as people raced to beat the closure. Once in Victoria, COVID-19 testing sites saw long queues as travelers lined up for mandatory testing. South Korea reported 824 new cases, raising the national tally to 62,593 with 942 deaths. — Thai authorities are planning to launch two levels of restrictions of activities for highly controlled areas where coronavirus cases are on the rise.

According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, intensive care units in several parts of Texas were full or nearly full. India and Brazil trail behind the U.S. in coronavirus cases at over 10 million and 7 million, respectively. ___MILAN, Italy — Italy added another 462 virus deaths on Friday for a known pandemic death toll of 74,621, the highest in Europe. ___BANGKOK — The Thai capital is shutting down venues including schools and entertainment parks as coronavirus cases continue to spread. China on Friday reported a total of 19 new virus cases, including 10 that were brought from outside the country.

The benchmark S&P 500 index finished with a gain of 16.3% for the year, or a total return of about 18.4%, including dividends. And the S&P 500 rose or fell by at least 1% on twice as many days in 2020 than it did, on average, since 1950. The electric car maker jumped 743.4% in 2020 for the biggest gain in the S&P 500. All told, the S&P 500 set 33 record highs in 2020. The S&P 500 rose 24.03 points, or 0.6%, to 3,756.07, an all-time high.

If ever a year’s end seemed like cause for celebration, 2020 might be it. Yet the coronavirus scourge that dominated the year is also looming over New Year’s festivities and forcing officials worldwide to tone them down. New York’s Times Square won’t be packed with impassable crowds this New Year’s Eve as it will be closed to the public due to the pandemic but the ball drop will go on, along with a few performances. All of which can be enjoyed virtually from anywhere. [TRENDING: How to get vaccine in Florida | Could $600 checks grow into $2,000 payments?

FILE - In this Dec. 30, 2020, file photo, an employee tolls the closing bell during a ceremony of the last trading day at the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Tokyo. Major Asian bourses were closed for the New Year's holidays Thursday, Dec. 31, while the handful that remained open was mixed. (JPX via AP)Major Asian bourses were closed for the New Year's holidays Thursday while the handful that remained open was mixed. Trading was closed in Tokyo and South Korea. The Tokyo exchange marked the end of trading for the year Wednesday, with the Nikkei falling 0.5%, and trading will not reopen until Monday next week.

Thailand generally has been viewed as successful in combating the coronavirus, due partly to its well-regarded public health infrastructure and people’s adherence to mask-wearing and other protocols. But cases have jumped significantly since an outbreak was detected last week among migrants from Myanmar working at a seafood market in Samut Sakhon province. Samut Sakhon Gov. Weerasak Wijitsaengsri tested positive for the virus after meeting Sunday with senior health officials including Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. Samut Sakhon was put under lockdown on Dec. 19, followed by Samut Songkhram and Samut Prakarn.

Asian shares were mixed Wednesday after a lackluster day on Wall Street, as the boost from President Donald Trumps signing of the coronavirus relief package faded. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)Asian shares were mixed Wednesday after a lackluster day on Wall Street, as the boost from President Donald Trump’s signing of the coronavirus relief package faded. It is still on track to end the month 7.7% higher, more than twice as much as the S&P 500. The S&P 500 fell 8.32 points to 3,727.04. With two days of trading left in 2020, the S&P 500 is up 15.4% this year, while the Nasdaq is up 43.2%.

Hata was the son of late Prime Minister Tsutomu Hata, who headed an opposition-led government in 1994. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s government has been reluctant to impose tougher restrictions that would further damage the pandemic-hit economy. South Korea on Monday registered 808 new coronavirus cases, raising its national caseload to 57,680 with 819 deaths. Sri Lanka has confirmed 41,053 coronavirus cases, including 191 fatalities. The government also announced 5,854 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, bringing the country's total to 719,219 confirmed cases, including 21,452 deaths.

NEW YORK – Jennifer Lopez will help bring in the New Year with a headlining performance in New York’s Time Square for “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2021." Other performers include Cyndi Lauper, Billy Porter and Jimmie Allen. Lauper and Porter collaborated on the Broadway musical “Kinky Boots" and they will join forces for a special performance during the TV special, which will air on ABC at 8 p.m. Eastern. “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2021" will run until 2 a.m. Eastern on Jan. 1. Seacrest is returning to host the event for a 16th year, and he will be joined by Porter and Lucy Hale in New York.

Along with the resources previously utilized by News 6 (state and county-by-county data), as of Dec. 7, WKMG-TV has added state data pulled from the Florida Department of Health’s Florida COVID19 State Testing Totals. CasesThe Florida Department of Health reported 11,234 new cases on Thursday, bringing the state’s overall total to 1,094,697 cases since March. DeathsAs of Thursday’s coronavirus report, a total of 19,851 deaths across the state have been related to the coronavirus, a number that includes 260 non-resident deaths in Florida. The state reported 135 new deaths Thursday. The state reported 258 new hospitalizations on Thursday.

There may not be family feasts or boughs of holly, but astronauts still manage to find creative ways to celebrate holidays while they’re orbiting the Earth. Come Nov. 15, four astronauts will launch on SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket and head for the International Space Station, where they’ll stay for about six months. Space Station (@Space_Station) November 25, 2019Last year, NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Jessica Meir and Andrew Morgan were happy to let Russian astronauts Aleksandr Skvortsov and Oleg Skripochka and Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano in on their American traditions. New Year’sAccording to Kelly, New Year’s is actually a bigger deal than Christmas on the International Space Station because all the astronauts on board celebrate it at the same time. You can hear his International Space Station rendition of the Irish ballad here.

Dunkin’ is bringing back its popular coffee flavors inspired by the iconic Girl Scout Cookies. The flavors are to celebrate the Girl Scout Cookie season which starts nationally in January. Coconut Caramel and Thin Mints are the two flavors that will be available starting Jan. 1. Thin Mint features the classic combination of cool mint and chocolate while Coconut Caramel is a mixture of toasted coconut and creamy caramel. “Girl Scout Cookie season is as welcomed and anticipated as the ball dropping on New Year’s Eve, and we’re thrilled to celebrate by bringing two smile-eliciting Girl Scout Cookie inspired flavors back to guests’ coffees in 2020,” said Patty Healy, Dunkin’s senior director of integrated marketing, in a press release.