Global new year celebrations begin

SYDNEY: Revellers across the globe are gathering to welcome in the new year, with New Zealand and Australia leading the celebrations.
A giant clock in Auckland’s Sky Tower counted down the minutes until midnight (11:00 GMT), when fireworks erupted.
Up to 1.5m people have lined the shores of Sydney harbour in preparation for the city’s famous firework display.
Celebration plans have been muted in Indonesia, however, in the wake of the AirAsia Flight QZ8501 crash.
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.
Some of the easternmost corners of earth, including Samoa, Kiribati and the Chatham Islands of New Zealand, were the first places to herald the new year.
Australia’s biggest city was Wednesday preparing to lead the world in welcoming the New Year with spectacular fireworks over Sydney Harbour, defying terrorist fears days after a deadly siege.
From Hong Kong to London, New York to Rio, millions around the world will celebrate when the clock ticks past midnight, ringing in 2015 with massive fireworks displays, concerts and light shows, according to a news agency.