A woman poses for a photo in front of a building lit up with colored lights at the Imperial Ancestral Temple during a rehearsal for a New Year’s Eve countdown celebration in Beijing, Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2015. At 8 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time, China will ring in 2016 ahead of much of the rest of the world on Thursday night. AP Photo
Asked to sum up 2015 in two words, and to do the same for their expectations for the coming year, people around the world have this to say:
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Thailand
2015: “A mess.”
2016: “A fresh start.”
— Korawut Lam, college student
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China
2015: “Smog and corruption.”
2016: “Lower prices and a safe Internet.”
— Chen Chen, hairdresser
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Brazil
2015: “Economic crisis.”
2016: “Olympic crisis.”
— Meire Gomes, jewelry seller
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New York
2015: “Lousy economy.”
2016: “More money.”
— Ronnie Boyd, who sells knickknacks and scarves on Times Square
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MALAYSIA
2015: “Tough life.”
2016: “Better economy.”
— Tony Wong, businessman
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