Fireworks, bells and drums greet the new year


People posing for a picture near illuminated decorations in Mumbai. -AP

THE global march into the New Year began on the Kiritimati atoll, where about 7,300 residents were the first to cross the midnight threshold.

As part of the Republic of Kiribati – a nation characterised by its lagoons and islands that span the equator – the atoll boasts the distinction of being the world’s first inhabited location to welcome a new calendar year.

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