US President Barack Obama took his daughters for a Hawaiian treat of shave ice and ordered a flavour combination that is named after himself.
Mr Obama and a posse of about 20 people took a motorcade to the same shave ice stand he has visited during other trips.
As in the past, he asked for a pile of ice shavings flavoured with lemon-lime, cherry and passion-guava syrups. The store calls the combo the Snowbama.
Pilot on parade
Captain Chesley B. Sullenberger III, the man who became a US national hero after safely landing a stricken jetliner on New York's Hudson River, led the traditional Rose Parade in Pasadena on New Year's Day.
Capt. Sullenberger rode down Colorado Boulevard in a vintage 1928 Pierce Arrow with his wife and two daughters as part of the annual armada of flower-draped floats, marching bands and prancing horses.
He said: "It's really an American institution, a celebration of American values. I think people see those in me, and I'm glad."
Van man's denial
A street vendor arrested after a parked van caused a bomb scare in New York's Times Square denied forging the vehicle's registration and other charges.
A defence lawyer told the Daily News that 36-year-old George Freyre doesn't even own the van.
Prosecutors said he told police it was his.
Vodka measure introduced
The price of the cheapest vodka on the Russian market more than doubled as the government set a minimum price in an effort to fight rampant alcoholism.
Drinking causes an extraordinary number of deaths in Russia, where male life expectancy is about 60, and contributes to an array of economic and social problems.
The minimum price of 89 roubles (three US dollars) for a half litre of vodka went into effect at the start of the 12-day New Year's and Orthodox Christmas holiday, when alcohol consumption is at its highest.
Songwriter settles fiancée lawsuit
The Academy Award-winning songwriter of You Light Up My Life ended his six-figure fight with a former fiancée he accused of conning him out of cash and pricey gifts by hiding the fact she was already married.
A New York judge recently approved a settlement between composer Joseph Brooks and Joaly Gomez, who said Brooks knew she wasn't single.
The settlement terms weren't specified, but court records show Brooks previously agreed Ms Gomez could keep most of a disputed $550,000 unless they struck a deal to share it.
Karzai offers condolences
Afghan President Hamid Karzai called Canada's prime minister to offer his condolences following the recent deaths of six Canadians in Afghanistan.
Mr Karzai called Prime Minister Stephen Harper on New Year's morning.
Dimitri Soudas, a spokesman for Harper, said Karzai wanted Harper to share his sympathies with the families of those who died, and with all Canadians.
Revellers' cold Tiber feast
Four Italians dived into the cold and dirty waters of Rome's Tiber river to mark the start of the new year.
Hundreds of spectators gathered to watch the four men plunge from Cavour Bridge in the centre of the city from a height of more than 50 feet on a cold and windy day.
The stunt - including flips and turns by the divers - is regarded as dangerous since the waters of the Tiber are cold and muddy, and the river is not really deep enough for a dive from such a height.
£2m watches snatched in New Year heist
About 200 luxury watches worth £2 million have been stolen from a jewellery shop in Tokyo's exclusive Ginza district.
Shinya Watanabe, a spokesman for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, said investigators yesterday discovered a 40 to 50 centimetre hole in one of the store's walls through which the watches are believed to have been removed.
Premier's grim forecast
Grenada's prime minister said the Caribbean island's economy is forecast to shrink by 1.8 per cent in 2010 before returning to growth in 2011.
GDP fell 7.7 per cent in 2009, due largely to declines in the construction and tourism sectors.
Prime Minister Tillman Thomas said in a New Year's message that an economic recovery programme nevertheless has helped the island to "restore international financial credibility".