World rings in 2015

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 present 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 and a deadly landslide in Central Java. In Surabaya, where the plane departed on its ill-fated journey, a candlelight vigil was being held in the hours leading up to midnight.

Sydney looks forward

More than a million people watched a massive fireworks display in the Australian city of Sydney on Wednesday. The celebration in Sydney, which took place against the spectacular backdrop of the famous Harbor Bridge and Opera House, 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.

The German capital, Berlin, is to join in the festivities with a huge open air concert in front of the Brandenburg Gate. Among those to perform was to be "Baywatch" star David Hasselhoff, who famously sang 25 years ago at the same location after the Berlin Wall came down.

One of the last midnight celebrations will be on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where more than two million people are expected to watch a huge fireworks show opening celebrations for the 450th anniversary of the founding of the city.

The crew on board that International Space Station (ISS) were scheduled to pass through 16 time zones, while others celebrated on Earth, giving them the unique opportunity to mark the passage from one year into the next 16 times.

rc/se (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)