Fireworks from Auckland's Sky City put on a brilliant display for revellers below. Video/Sky City
NEW YORK New Yorkers, celebrity entertainers and tourists from around the world packed into a frigid Times Square to mark the start of 2018 with a glittering crystal ball drop, a burst of more than a tonne of confetti and fireworks. It was only -10 C in the city by late afternoon — already making it one of the coldest celebrations on record. Security was at an all-time high after a year that saw several fatal attacks on large crowds, including one in Times Square itself last northern spring.
CALIFORNIA The Golden State is going green. California joins the growing list of US states to legalise recreational marijuana. California has allowed medical marijuana for more than a decade, and the state is generally tolerant of the drug, so major changes are not expected as the laws are further eased. At least not on New Year's Day. More than 70 outlets received licenses to sell in time for January 1.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES Dubai's Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, has again served as the focal point of New Year's celebrations — though this year authorities decided against fireworks and chose a massive LED lightshow on the structure. That was in part due to safety in the city-state in the United Arab Emirates, which saw a massive skyscraper fire on New Year's Eve in 2015. The display, running down the east side of the 828m tower, showed Arabic calligraphy, geometric designs and a portrait of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the UAE's first president. But a display of neighbouring nations' flags didn't show Qatar's flag.
FRANCE Paris greeted 2018 with a fireworks and pyrotechnics display at the Arc De Triomphe. After several high-profile attacks in France in the past two years, authorities were taking no chances. Strict security measures were in place around France, with some 99,000 soldiers and police officers on patrol. Hundreds of thousands turned out along the Champs-Elysees to welcome the new year after undergoing security and bag checks. Barriers also were set up along the Champs-Elysees in a bid to prevent any potential vehicle attacks.
VATICAN Bidding 2017 farewell, Pope Francis has decried wars, injustices and environmental decay which he says have "ruined" the year. Francis presided at a New Year's prayer service in St Peter's Basilica, a traditional occasion to say thanks in each year's last hours. He says God gave to us a 2017 "whole and sound," but that "we humans in many ways ruined and hurt it with works of death, lies and injustices." But, he added, "gratitude prevails" thanks to those "cooperating silently for the common good."
Fireworks light the sky above the Quadriga at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. Photo / AP
AUSTRALIA Fireworks lit up the sky above Sydney Harbour. The massive fireworks display included a rainbow waterfall cascade of lights and colour flowing off the harbour bridge to celebrate recently passed legislation legalising gay marriage in Australia. Over a million people were expected to gather to watch the festivities. Security was tight, but officials said there was no particular alert. Sydney officials said the event would generate millions for the city and "priceless publicity." Nearly half the revellers were tourists.
UGANDA Thousands of Ugandans gathered at churches across the country to mark the end of 2017. The raucous events, during which some preachers are known to make dubious predictions, have become such a staple of New Year's festivities that the country's longtime President, Yoweri Museveni, sometimes makes time to make an appearance at a church. Still, many in this East African country prefer to celebrate at crowded beaches on the shores of Lake Victoria or in darkened halls listening to the music of pop stars who take turns offering crowd pleasers until midnight.
From Sydney to Dubai - here's how cities around the world welcomed in 2018 in style pic.twitter.com/6BkpOc81B7
RUSSIA President Vladimir Putin called on Russians to be considerate and conciliatory with each other in the new year. "Say the most cherished words to each other, forgive mistakes and resentment, admit love, warm up with care and attention," Putin says in a televised message broadcast just before midnight. "Let the trust and mutual understanding always accompany us," he was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies after his statement aired in Kamchatka, the easternmost time zone. Moscow had fireworks and outdoor gatherings, despite weather that's less than festive.
GERMANY Germans rang in 2018 under tight security from police mindful of widespread sexual abuse of women in Cologne two years ago and of a terrorist attack on a Christmas market last year. Police in Berlin added 1600 officers on duty and said that large bags and knapsacks would not be allowed on the "Party Mile" leading from Brandenburg Gate. Police in Frankfurt imposed similar restrictions in the celebration area along the Main River in the country's financial capital.
Fireworks explode over the temple of the Parthenon at the Acropolis hill to mark the New Year's celebrations in Athens. Photo / AP
BRITAIN Crowds swamped the banks of the River Thames in London for the 12-minute display after Big Ben's chimes rung out across the capital at midnight, having been turned back on for the festive period. In Edinburgh, tens of thousands saw in 2018 against the backdrop of Edinburgh Castle, with revellers across the country braving blustery conditions to enjoy Hogmanay celebrations, after Storm Dylan earlier threatened to cause disruption. Gusts of up to 120km/h were recorded in parts of Scotland but conditions calmed, allowing one of the world's biggest street parties to go ahead as planned. More than 100,000 ticket-holders watched London's New Year's Eve fireworks, which featured a soundtrack dominated by women to mark the centenary of women being granted the vote. Songs by Aretha Franklin, Annie Lennox, Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa and Florence Welch were among those included. Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has used his New Year message to praise the "depth of compassion" shown by communities responding to terrorism and tragedy. The Anglican leader said the 2017 terrorist atrocities in London and Manchester and the Grenfell Tower disaster had been met with heroism from the emergency services. But he also used his message to highlight the suffering of people "struggling to find work or relying on food banks" whose plight did not make national headlines.
JAPAN Many Japanese celebrated the arrival of the Year of the Dog in the traditional way of praying for peace and good fortune at neighbourhood Shinto shrines, and eating New Year's food such as noodles, shrimp and sweet black beans. Barbecued beef and octopus dumpling stalls were out at Tokyo's Zojoji Temple, where people take turns striking the giant bell 108 times at midnight, an annual practice repeated at other Buddhist temples throughout Japan.
Fireworks explode over the River Thames behind the Elizabeth Tower in London. Photo / AP
INDIA Security was tight in the southern Indian city of Bangalore to prevent a repeat of incidents of alleged groping and molestation of several women during last year's New Year's celebrations. Sunil Kumar, the city's police commissioner, said at least 15,000 police officers were on duty and were being aided by drones and additional closed-circuit television cameras.
PHILIPPINES Scores of people were injured by celebratory firecrackers in the Philippines, which has some of the most raucous New Year's celebrations in Asia. Although the number of injuries has tapered off in recent years, largely due to hard economic times and government scare campaigns, the figures remain alarming.
Fireworks explode over the centre of Grozny, the capital of Chechnya. Photo / AP
TURKEY Security measures were ramped up across Turkey, which was hit by a New Year's attack a year ago that killed dozens. In Istanbul alone, 37,000 officers were on duty, with multiple streets closed to traffic and large vehicles barred from entering certain districts. Several New Year's street parties were canceled for security reasons.
ROMANIA Romanians ushered in a new year in which the focus is expected to be an anti-corruption fight as the Government seeks to push through legislation that critics say will make it harder to punish high-level graft. Television stations broadcast live from supermarkets full of last-minute shoppers, while beauty salons reported full bookings as revellers geared up for traditional celebrations of copious meals that can run to hundreds of euros. Others meditated and prayed at Orthodox churches and monasteries.
Iraqis watch fireworks explode during the New Year's Day celebrations in Baghdad. Photo / AP
LAS VEGAS Tens of thousands of revellers saw in the new year in Las Vegas under the close eye of law enforcement just three months after the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history. Tourism officials expect about 330,000 people to come to Las Vegas for the festivities, which are anchored by a roughly eight-minute fireworks display at the top of seven casino-hotels. Acts including Bruno Mars, Britney Spears, Celine Dion and the Foo Fighters kept partiers entertained before and after midnight at properties across Sin City.
INDONESIA Hundreds of Indonesian couples celebrated New Year's by tying the knot in a mass wedding in the capital Jakarta. Nearly 450 couples gathered in a large tent in the city centre just hours before midnight to pray with their families before signing marriage certificates. Government officials oversaw each brief ceremony.
