– Remembrance for lost AirAsia flight –
Across Asia revellers celebrated with fireworks and music, with hundreds of thousands crowding near the landmark skyscraper Taipei 101 to watch performances by pop singers.
But in Malaysia, a sombre mood prevailed after the crash of AirAsia Flight QZ8501 carrying 162 people and flooding in the northeast that has displaced almost 250,000 people.
Year-end celebrations have been cancelled, with many companies instead launching fundraising campaigns for flood victims.
In Indonesia, where most of the victims were from, New Year festivities in the capital started solemnly with a prayer for the victims while relatives gathered in Surabaya for a candlelit vigil in the hours before midnight.
While in Afghanistan, the last French troops in the country held a ceremony in Kabul to mark the end of their deployment after NATO combat operations closed down as a new “train and support” mission takes over.
Further west, more than two million people are expected to attend a huge fireworks show on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro to open celebrations marking 450 years since the founding of the city.
In the US, hundreds of thousands of revellers braced chilly temperatures and poured into New York’s Times Square for the New Year party that this year features Taylor Swift.
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