World takes in muted New Year's Eve under Covid shadow

Lockdowns and curfews curtail celebrations, with limited exceptions, after year most would prefer to forget

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In Sydney the fireworks soared into the sky above the Opera House, but the harbour below was empty. In New York, Times Square was mostly deserted. No light show illuminated Beijing from the top of the TV tower.

With revelry around the world curtailed by lockdowns and curfews imposed to stem the spread of Covid-19, the lions of London's Trafalgar Square were barricaded off, and there were no crowds in St Peter's Square and no one diving into the Tiber in Rome.