Europe rings in 2015 after turbulent year
January 1, 2015
In Berlin, revelers celebrated with a huge open air concert in front of the Brandenburg Gate. Among the performers was former "Baywatch" star David Hasselhoff, who famously sang 25 years ago at the same location after the Berlin Wall came down.
Lithuanians had an additional reason to celebrate, as the country became the 19th member of the eurozone on January 1. Another Baltic state, Latvia, takes over the rotating presidency of the European Union from Italy.
In France, Parisians were treated to a visual spectacle projected onto the Arc de Triomphe on the Champs-Elysees a quarter of an hour before midnight.
And in Spain, millions converged on Madrid's Puerta del Sol to eat the traditional 12 grapes for each stroke of midnight, while the Barcelona sky was lit up with a massive fireworks display.
Record-breaking attempt
Dubai became one of the latest party hotspots to celebrate the New Year with a sound and light extravaganza around the world's tallest tower.
Party organizers in the Gulf Arab emirate used some 70,000 panels to illuminate the 828-meter (2,716-foot) Burj Khalifa tower with a display of lights, aiming to break the record for the world's largest LED-lit display.
A team from Guinness World Records, which last year gave Dubai the title for the world's largest firework display, was on hand to monitor the preparations.
The change of calendar comes after a turbulent year in the Middle East - one that saw an escalation of Israeli-Palestinian hostilities and the rise of the "Islamic State" group in Syria and Iraq.
In Iraq, authorities in Baghdad authorities ordered a one-off lifting of the overnight curfew that has been in force for more than a decade so that residents could celebrate in the streets. Commercial streets were closed to vehicles as a precaution against terror attacks.
In sharp contrast to Dubai, the message in India - at least officially - was one of austerity with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his cabinet being asked to cancel travel plans and avoid lavish celebrations.
Harbor fireworks
In Hong Kong, hundreds of thousands of people crowded the city's promenades to watch an eight-minute pyrotechnic display over its harbor. Hong Kong has been the scene of months of pro-democracy protests.
In China's capital the theme was Beijing's bid to hold the 2022 Winter Olympics, with performances by Olympic medalists and star pianist Lang Lang in sub-zero weather.
Celebration plans in Indonesia were muted after the loss of AirAsia Flight 8501 over the weekend and a deadly landslide in Central Java earlier in December. In Surabaya, where the AirAsia plane departed on its ill-fated journey on Sunday, a candlelight vigil was held in the hours leading up to midnight.
Sydney looks forward
In the Australian city of Sydney, more than a million people watched a massive fireworks display against the spectacular backdrop of the famous Harbor Bridge and Opera House. The celebration took place just two weeks after a hostage drama in the city center in which two hostages died along with the Iranian-born gunman.
Earlier, New Zealand also rang in the new year with a huge firworks display launched from Auckland's landmark Sky Tower structure.
One of the last midnight celebrations will be on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where more than 2 million people are expected to watch a huge fireworks show opening celebrations for the 450th anniversary of the founding of the city.
In New York, around 1 million people were expected in Times Square to ring in 2015.
cmk, rc/mg (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)