Sydney leads New Year celebrations

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 revellers 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.