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Evangeline Lam

From Taiwan to Berlin, jubilant crowds turned out in city centres around the world to mark the beginning of a new calendar year.
Revellers in Paris enjoyed a five-minute light display at the Arc de Triomphe; while in Tokyo, thousands of balloons were released at the Prince Park Tower.
Here are some of the highlights from the celebrations.


New Year in pictures: celebrations from around the world to start 2016 with a bang

No Caption Available.

Fireworks ring in the new year across Victoria Harbour in Tsim Sha Tsui. Photo: David Wong

People celebrate the start of 2016 in Lan Kwai Fong, Hong Kong. Photo: Felix Wong

The New Year’s Eve Fireworks on Sydney Harbour at Mrs Macquarie’s Point in Sydney, Australia. Photo: EPA

Performers pose for photos before the countdown to the New Year at an event at the Imperial Ancestral Temple in Beijing, China. Photo: AP

People strike a huge bell to greet the New Year of 2016 at the Xuanzang Temple in Nanjing, Jiangsu. Photo: Xinhua

Fireworks explode around the London Eye wheel, the Big Ben clock tower and the Houses of Parliament to mark the beginning of the New Year in London, Britain. Photo: Reuters

The 2016 appears during the 5-minute video performance displayed on the Arc de Triomphe as part of New Year’s Eve celebrations on the Champs Elysees Avenue in Paris, France. Photo: EPA

Fireworks light the sky over the Brandenburg Gate during the celebration for the New Year in Berlin, Germany. Photo: Xinhua

Fireworks explode over Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, during the New Year celebrations as the Address Downtown Dubai hotel and residential block, which had been engulfed by a fire. Photo: EPA

People release balloons to celebrate the New Year at the Prince Park Tower in Tokyo. More than 1,000 balloons were released, carrying with them new year wishes. Photo: AFP

A combo photos showing fireworks go off at the Taipei 101 skyscraper to celebrate New Year 2016 in Taipei, Taiwan. Photo: EPA

People watch fireworks during New Years celebrations at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Photo: AFP

An Egyptian policeman riding a camel stands guard during New Year celebrations in front of the pyramids near the Egyptian capital Cairo. Photo: AFP

Indonesians release sky lanterns during the New Year celebrations in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. 2,016 sky lanterns were launched into the air to mark the New Year. Photo: EPA

People gather on the Champs Elysees to watch the New Year video display on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France. Photo: EPA

Police officers stand guard at Times Square in New York, the United States. Photo: AFP

Japanese raise their arms in celebration of the first sunrise of the year at a beach in Isumi city, Chiba prefecture. Photo: EPA

Countries around the world are celebrating today as they welcome in 2016