Dutch spending 65 million euros on fireworks

The Dutch are predicted to spend 65 million euros ($100 million) on fireworks to set off over the New Year. Fireworks sellers are prepared for a busy day today, and last minute buyers are willing to queue for hours.

In the Netherlands fireworks are only allowed to go on sale in the three days leading up to the New Year. There are 1600 sales points which all have to meet strict regulations for a licence.

At first sales were slow, but they soon picked up. The Dutch consumer association for fireworks says purchases of decorative fireworks are up, while noisy fireworks have dropped 40 percent in some shops. Two years ago, it was the bangers that were the most popular.

For more: Dutch spend 65 million on fireworks | Radio Netherlands Worldwide

A sad beginning of 2011: Bombing of Christian church in Egypt kills 21 - by Amro Hassan

At least 21 people attending a Christian Mass were killed and 79 injured when a bomb exploded outside an Alexandria church in the first hour of the New Year, Egyptian officials said.

The blast struck Coptic worshipers as they exited the Qidiseen, or saints, Church just after a New Year's Eve Mass in the eastern section of Alexandria, the ancient city along Egypt's Mediterranean coast.

According to the Ministry of Health, all but eight of the injured and all the fatalities were Christians. No one claimed immediate responsibility for the attack. The Ministry of Information quoted an unnamed official as saying a suicide bomber may have carried out the attack and "foreign terrorists" were responsible.

For more: Bombing of Christian church in Egypt kills 21 - baltimoresun.com