New year celebrations welcome 2014
New year celebrations have been taking place around the world
Celebrations around the world are under way to mark the start of 2014.
East Asian cities were next to ring in the new year, with Beijing, Jakarta and Singapore all hosting celebrations.
Moscow also celebrated with a spectacular fireworks display over the Kremlin.
However, there was intense security in Red Square following recent suicide bombings in the southern Russian city of Volgograd.
Dubai - in the same time zone as Moscow - aimed for a world record with a fireworks extravaganza stretching along 30 miles (50km) of seafront.
Adjudicators from Guinness World Records were on hand to check proceedings, but it was not clear immediately whether the attempt was successful.
The Burj Khalifa in downtown Dubai was lit up by fireworks to welcome 2014
In Hong Kong, tens of thousands of spectators watched the fireworks over Victoria Harbour.
The Chinese city of Wuhan earlier called off its display in order to avoid worsening a smog problem.
In Japan, Shinto priests gathered at shrines. Japanese people traditionally visit shrines and temples to pray for their families at this time.
In the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, an estimated 100,000 people sang the national anthem in the city's Independence Square in support of further integration with Europe.
The square has been the focus of pro-European protests for more than a month after President Viktor Yanukovych ditched a key deal with the EU.
As midnight struck across western Europe, Berlin and Paris were among the capitals staging spectacular displays.
Berlin's Brandenburg Gate was the backdrop for a spectacular display of fireworks
It's not just about fireworks - Japanese people traditionally visit shrines and temples to pray for their families at New Year
North Koreans were treated to a firework display over the Juche Tower and Taedong River in Pyongyang
In the New Zealand town of Queenstown, revellers partied ahead of the New Year
Women in traditional costumes danced during a parade for 2013's last sundown on Bali, Indonesia
In Sydney, a spectacular display lit up the famous Harbour Bridge as it kicked off the new year's celebrations Cape Town in South Africa planned a free concert with lasers, fireworks and a special 3D tribute to former President Nelson Mandela, who died on 5 December.
New York will mark the new year with the traditional New Year's Eve countdown and ball drop over Times Square, while Rio de Janeiro is once again expecting more than two million people to pack its Copacabana beach.
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