Midday Roundup: Shanghai celebration turns into deadly stampede

Deadly celebration. Ringing in the New Year in Shanghai, China, turned deadly last night as 36 people lost their lives in stampede along the city’s popular riverfront area. The Shanghai government said 47 others were hospitalized, including 13 who were seriously injured. The chaos broke out about 30 minutes before midnight. “I heard people screaming, someone fell, people shouted, ‘Don’t rush,’” an unidentified woman who was celebrating with friends said. “There were so many people and I couldn’t stand properly.”

Victim identified. The first of nine bodies recovered from the AirAsia Flight 8501 crash has been identified. Fingerprints and other means confirmed Hayati Lutfiah Hamid’s identity and her remains were returned to her family today after a brief ceremony at a police hospital in Surabaya, Indonesia. Hamid, who was Muslim, later was buried quickly in a nearby village. Crews battling wind and heavy rain continue to search for the more than 150 people still missing from the crash. Meanwhile, Bloomberg reports that the pilot of AirAsia 8501 had to wait two minutes before air traffic control responded to his request to fly at a higher altitude.

Clearing the deck. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush resigned from his remaining board memberships yesterday, aide Kristy Campbell said, adding that it was “a natural next step as he turns his focus to gauging whether there is support for a potential [2016 presidential] candidacy.” Bush’s resignations do not affect his other business interests, including his consulting company, Jeb Bush and Associates, and his partnership in the Florida-based private equity and business advisory group Britton Hill Holdings.

Outdoors on ice. While most Americans will be glued to the tube watching the first-ever College Football Playoff tonight, hockey fans will be tuned in this afternoon to the NHL’s annual outdoor Winter Classic, with the Washington Capitals hosting the Chicago Black Hawks at Nationals Park, home of baseball’s Washington Nationals. “This is one of my favorite catchphrases to use of all time: ‘Who cares? It’s college,’” Capitals defenseman Brooks Laich said about tonight’s football semifinals at the Rose and Sugar bowls. “I hope the rest of America has the same mindset I do.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.