Fireworks mark the start of the New Year in Singapore. - REUTERS
SYDNEY, Australia (AP):
A PULSING heart of red lights shone out from Sydney's Harbour Bridge as tens of thousands of people gathered to watch fireworks marking the start of the new year, while revelers throughout the world partied, visited places of worship and gathered with families to welcome 2006.
Celebrations across the world were taking place amid tight security, as cities such as Sydney and Paris feared repeats of recent riots, while in much of Asia the threat of terrorist attacks hung large. In Indonesia, a bomb killed eight and wounded 45 others in a province long plagued by separatism.
"It's a bit hard to celebrate when you see people so dejected and hurt, like what people saw on TV," said Ann Ward from the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, who brought her family to watch the fireworks display. "This year is much better."
For the millions left homeless by this year's South Asian quake, however, the new year was expected to begin with heavy snow and rain.
In Indonesia, a bomb ripped through a crowded meat market ahead of New Year's Eve celebrations, killing at least eight people and wounding 45 in a Central Sulawesi province, officials said.
In the Philippines, officials were threatening to arrest anyone who set off powerful fireworks or fired guns to try and prevent the deaths and injuries that accompany New Year's Eve festivities every year.
