Revellers Round The World Welcome In 2011

Spectacular celebrations have been held across the globe to mark the start of 2011.

Hundreds of thousands of revellers jammed into Times Square in New York to see the famous Times Square Ball drop at midnight (0500GMT).
But as usual it was Sydney who bigged itself up as home of the world's grandest New Year's Eve fireworks display.
The city didn't disappoint, with the Sydney Harbour Bridge lit up by a dazzling display watched by around 1.5 million people.
New Zealand was the first major country to usher in 2011, followed by Hong Kong and Taipei in Taiwan.
Thousands of people watched as fireworks were set off from the top of the Sky Tower, the tallest man-made structure in New Zealand.

Fireworks explode above Taiwan's tallest building

Communist Vietnam held a rare, Western-style countdown to the new year in the capital Hanoi.
While in Japan revellers released balloons carrying notes with people's hopes and dreams.

Fireworks explode over the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin

In Dubai, the world's tallest building was awash in fireworks from the base to its needle-like spire nearly a half-mile (828-meters) above. Sparkling silver rays shot out from the Burj Khalifa in a 10-minute display.
In Europe, Greeks, Irish and Spaniards put their economic woes behind them and partied their problems away.
Crowds gathered in Madrid's Puerta del Sol square to take part in "Las Uvas" (The Grapes), a tradition in which people eat a grape for each of the 12 chimes of midnight.
All fireworks were banned in Burma with heavy penalties threatened against those who ignored the stipulation.