11.   She said the celebration this year at Red Square was much more festive since then.

12.   The celebrations this year were intended to have a religious and not political air.

13.   The less-than-average turnover reported by traders of consumer goods indicates that the celebration this year will be tempered with a dose of economic reality.

14.   U.S. officials toned down the celebration this year to avoid a show that might be considered gaudy in a country where millions of jobless face food shortages.

15.   He had previously attended an end of year celebration in his honour given by the royal family.

16.   Analysts said that markets were quiet because of a holiday in Tokyo and the looming Chinese new year celebration.

17.   Christmas celebrations this year were virtually incident-free, with police saying there had been no reports of trouble.