Sydney officials said the event would generate some $170 million for the city and “priceless publicity.” Nearly half the revelers were tourists. NEW ZEALANDTens of thousands of New Zealanders took to the streets and beaches, becoming among the first in the world to usher in 2018. In Auckland, New Zealand's biggest city, tens of thousands gathered around Sky Tower as five minutes of nonstop pyrotechnics exploded from the structure's upper decks. Television stations broadcast live from supermarkets full of last-minute shoppers, while beauty salons reported full bookings as revelers geared up for traditional celebrations of copious meals that can run to hundreds of euros. In his new year message, President Klaus Iohannis praised Romanians who staged the largest protests since the end of communism.

Source: Los Angeles Times December 31, 2017 12:49 UTC