Ethopia prepares to ring in Coptic millennium

Addis Ababa was bustling today with last-minute sprucing-up as Ethiopia prepared to ring in the new millennium with an all-night party, nearly seven years after the rest of the world.

Ethiopia follows the Coptic calendar, which is seven years behind the more common Gregorian. Among the celebrations is a concert by the US pop group Black Eyed Peas in a multi-million-pound hall built for the occasion. Officials were busy touching up paint and stringing colourful lights around the venue.