Newsinc24 Team 
The year 2022 has arrived in some countries, with people on the South Pacific islands of Samoa and Kiribati the first to start the new year at 10:00 GMT on Friday, and New Zealand following an hour later.New Year celebrations around the world remained subdued amid concern over Covid. Australia welcomed 2022 with fireworks but fewer crowds.
In New Zealand, a light show illuminates the Sky Tower and Harbour Bridge in Auckland. Fireworks light up the Taipei skyline as Taiwan rings in 2022.
In Japan, People offered New Year prayers at the Kanda Myojin Shrine in Tokyo.Japan’s Emperor Naruhito offered prayers for those who died during the pandemic, taking to video for the second straight year for his New Year’s greeting on Saturday,
In Thailand, fireworks erupt over the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok. In UK, new year celebrations were muted in London for the second year in a row amid Corona scare. However, the London Eye still looked dazzling in purple last night.Fireworks and lights displays lit up the night sky in London on Saturday as people welcomed 2022 against the backdrop of calls for caution and the cancellation of large celebrations.
As Big Ben bongs and we welcome a new year,
— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) January 1, 2022
London sends a message loud and clear,
Everyone is welcome and not just tolerated,
Our diversity and dynamism is celebrated,
So from my family to yours, and from me to you,
London - I wish you a very Happy 2022. pic.twitter.com/KrK3XeZ2j7
In India, New Year was celebratred in a subdued manner. Prime minister Narendra Modi extended his wishes on the New Year.wished joy and good health to everyone.
Happy 2022!
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 1, 2022
May this year bring abundance of joy and good health in everyone’s lives.
May we keep scaling new heights of progress and prosperity, and work even harder to fulfil the dreams of our great freedom fighters. pic.twitter.com/dHoaD4tbpk
In France, nurses at a hospital in Marseille enjoyed a new year's cake while taking a break in a Covid-19 intensive care unit.
In Russia, fireworks explode over the St. Basil’s Cathedral and the Kremlin in Moscow at midnight. However, Red Square remained empty during New Year’s celeb due to pandemic restrictions.
In Sri Lanka, midnight fireworks were seen over the skyline in Colombo.
Colourful fireworks lit up the night sky in Rio de Janeiro as the city ushered in the New Year. People crowded along the beach to watch the fifteen minute display as they celebrated the start of 2022.Around the world, South Africans cheered its government’s decision to lift the midnight curfew in place after nearly two years of Covid restrictions, a relief for businesses and citizens just ahead of New Year celebrations. On Thursday, South Africa became the first country to say that it believed it had passed the peak of a wave of virus infections caused by the highly contagious Omicron variant.
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