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New Year's Eve: Global celebrations bring in 2015 | New Year's Eve: Global celebrations bring in 2015 |
(about 7 hours later) | |
Celebrations for the start of 2015 have taken place across Asia and Europe, with firework displays in a host of major cities. | |
New Zealand led the way, with Sydney Harbour providing a spectacular backdrop to Australia's display. | |
There was shock in Asia as a crush in Shanghai, China saw 35 people die marking the start of 2015. | |
Europe's celebrations began in Moscow with fireworks over St Basil's Cathedral and the Kremlin. | |
Up to 1.5m people lined the shores of Sydney harbour to see the city's famous firework display. | |
The city's Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, said the recent hostage crisis in the city had focussed the minds of Sydney residents. | |
"We are celebrating that we are a multicultural, harmonious community but we will be thinking about what happened," he said. | |
Celebration plans were muted in Indonesia in the wake of the recent AirAsia Flight QZ8501 crash. | |
But across the rest of Asia there were lavish parties, with a sound and light show at Beijing's Olympic stadium and an eight-minute firework display in Hong Kong. | |
"I think a more peaceful year would be good for everyone," Louis Ho, 65, told AFP news agency, as the territory bade farewell to a year that saw widespread street protests. | |
Moscow's display led the way in Europe, with President Vladimir Putin describing the 2014 annexation of Crimea as "a historic landmark" for Russia. | |
Mr Putin also sent messages to several world leaders, telling US President Barack Obama that the US and Russia had a shared interest in "maintaining peace and international stability". | |
In Brazil, more than one million people will join the crowds on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana beach, while New Yorkers will watch the city lower its trademark crystal ball over Times Square. | In Brazil, more than one million people will join the crowds on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana beach, while New Yorkers will watch the city lower its trademark crystal ball over Times Square. |
Pacific Islands just to the west of the international date line, including Samoa, Kiribati and the Chatham Islands of New Zealand, were the first places to herald the new year. | |
Send us your pictures of your new year celebrations by emailing yourpics@bbc.co.uk | Send us your pictures of your new year celebrations by emailing yourpics@bbc.co.uk |